Ridge counters critics of homeland security bill
In testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee Monday, White House adviser Tom Ridge rejected many-but not all-of the recommendations made last week by several House committees to the administration's plan to create a Homeland Security Department.
At a two-hour hearing, Ridge took issue with a broad range of committee complaints-from the new department's fundamental structure to the way it would be managed and how much it would cost.
In contrast to legislation approved by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee last week, for example, Ridge said it is "crucial" for the new department to include the Coast Guard.
He also said the plan would not cost $3 billion to implement-as CBO has projected-and insisted that the Homeland Security secretary should have the "flexibility" to relax some civil service laws.
Ridge said the mission of the new department would be to prevent terrorist attacks in the United States, reduce the country's vulnerability to terrorism, minimize the damage and recover from future attacks.
The department would "mobilize and focus the resources of the federal government, state and local governments, the private sector and the American people to accomplish this mission," Ridge said.
He added that the homeland security strategy document the Bush administration is slated to release Tuesday provides "direction" to federal departments and agencies involved in homeland defense, suggest steps that state and local governments-as well as private organizations and individuals-can take to improve security and recommend action to Congress.
At a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee last week, Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Robert Menendez of New Jersey told Secretary of State Colin Powell that the administration should have developed a strategy for protecting the homeland before proposing a Cabinet-level department.
On Monday, Ridge countered that the "proposal to create the department preceded the strategy because we finished our work on the organizational issue first" and because the White House wanted Congress to have enough time to pass the plan this year.
Ridge also criticized many of the changes to the administration's homeland proposal made last week by House committees.
For the new department to protect the homeland, it must have authority over the Customs Service, Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration and Secret Service, Ridge testified. The secretary of the department also must be given the flexibility to manage operations more like a private-sector corporation.
But the administration also supports a number of the smaller changes suggested last week, such as a Science Committee plan to create an undersecretary of Homeland Security for Science and Technology.
It also backs a plan proposed by the Agriculture Committee to move parts of the Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to the new department.
On the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Ridge said the administration would consider alternate plans to pull immigration services out of the Homeland Security Department and make them into a bureau.
Ridge also said the administration supports an amendment on visa issuance proposed by Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., because it would give the new department "the control over visa issuance necessary for effective border security."
Under the Hyde proposal, the State Department would continue to run consular offices-as Bush had wanted-but the Homeland Security Department would be empowered to review individual visa petitions that raise security questions.