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Analysis: Democratic Homeland Offensive

Council on Foreign Relations

January 9, 2007
Prepared by: Eben Kaplan

For half a decade, the Democratic minority in Congress championed homeland security proposals that led to the formation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the 9/11 Commission. Despite these major initiatives, many Democrats chafed at Republican opposition to smaller bills to address specific vulnerabilities. Gaining congressional power this month, Democrats quickly proposed legislation they say will make the United States safer.

Democratic concern about serious security gaps is in part due to the unfulfilled recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission. In a final report at the end of 2005, the commission graded the progress made on forty-one of its recommendations. Twelve received a grade of D and five received failing marks (PDF). As part of new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Hundred-hour agenda, the House of Representatives votes this week on a bill designed to implement the remaining recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.

Weighing in at 277 pages, the new legislation takes a broad approach, encompassing everything from local fire departments to foreign policy toward Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia. The bill includes measures requiring screening (USAToday) of all cargo shipped on passenger aircraft, screening “for radiation and density” of all shipping containers headed for U.S. ports, and the formation of an agency (BosGlobe) to investigate claims of privacy invasion.

Read the rest of this article on the cfr.org website.

Copyright 2007 by the Council on Foreign Relations. This material is republished on GlobalSecurity.org with specific permission from the cfr.org. Reprint and republication queries for this article should be directed to cfr.org.