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Statement of the Honorable Howard Coble, Chairman

Joint Hearing on the Progress in Consolidating Terrorist Watchlists – The Terrorist Screening Center (TSC)

(March 25, 2004)

            Today, the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, and the Select Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism will hold a joint hearing on the consolidation of terrorist watchlists at the new Terrorist Screening Center. I want to welcome all the Members from both Committees and the witnesses.

            Unfortunately, already in this election season we have heard a great deal of political rhetoric that fails to show the true bipartisan efforts of Congress to protect our Nation. It is easy to be a Monday morning quarterback, but such talk does nothing to improve our homeland security nor to support our public safety officers and troops in harms way. If there are problems -- we need to fix them quickly. If there are ways to improve our homeland security -- we need to implement them efficiently and effectively.

            Today, our country is safer than it was before September 11, 2001. This is due, not only to the work of Congress and the Bush Administration, but also the extraordinary efforts of Federal, state, and local law enforcement officers and our military men and women.

             This hearing focuses on one of those efforts. On September 16, 2003, President Bush established the Terrorism Screening Center through Homeland Security Presidential Directive Six to provide ready access to information regarding suspected terrorists to allow government investigators, screeners, agents, and state and local law enforcement officers to respond quickly.

            The Terrorism Screening Center aims to improve the screening of known and suspected terrorists at consular offices and international ports of entry, and the tracking of these individuals abroad and at home, if they manage to enter the United States. The Terrorism Screening Center aims to improve information sharing at all levels of government, and to securely and quickly get the right information to the right people.

            Today, we will hear testimony from the Director of the TSC on the progress the new center has made in reaching its goals; from two customers of TSC – the National Targeting Center at the Department of Homeland Security and the Director the New York State Counterterrorism Unit; and the Center for Democracy and Technology on concerns about civil liberties.

            I look forward to hearing from our panel today and now yield to the ranking Member of Homeland Security, Chairman Jim Gibbons.