Democrats Pass Security Bill Despite Cost Criticism

By Jon Fox
Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — Wielding their new majority, House Democrats pushed through legislation yesterday that would require radiation scanning of all U.S.-bound cargo at foreign ports and increase funding to secure weapons of mass destruction in former Soviet states (see GSN, Jan. 9).

The component of the Democrats’ “100 hours” agenda also mandates steps to crack down on international trade of illicit nuclear technology. 

The bill passed by a vote of 299-128, with a number of Republicans standing behind the measure implementing recommendations made by the Sept. 11 commission.

Democrats heralded the nearly 300-page bill as a step toward addressing the threat of nuclear terrorism.

Representative Edward Markey (D-Mass.), a vocal supporter of scanning all cargo containers bound for the United States, said smuggling a nuclear weapon onto U.S. soil remains al-Qaeda’s highest goal.

“When it’s in a port in the United States — New York, Long Beach — it’s already too late,” he said while pushing for the bill on the House floor.  “It’s al-Qaeda’s dream to have a nuclear explosion in a major American city.”

“That may be the greatest threat but you wouldn’t know it by the allocation of resources and what we are doing today,” said Representative John Spratt (D-S.C.).

Critics, however, question the feasibility of scanning all sea cargo heading to the United States within five years.  Late last year, Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff called such a goal admirable but unrealistic, suggesting it could cut the flow of international trade to the United States by three quarters (see GSN, Sept. 27, 2006).

During debate yesterday, some Republicans assailed the legislation.  The 100-percent goal might be impossible given the current radiation detection technology, could bring commerce to a “screeching halt” and will carry an enormous price tag, they said.

“The ideas and proposals contained in this bill are overly costly and draconian even,” said Representative Harold Rogers (R-Ky.).  “This bill will waste billions.”

The cost of screening air cargo alone is expected to cost $3.6 billion over the next 10 years, and some expect inspections of shipping containers could top that.

Four months ago, the Senate rejected a similar measure that would have required scanning of all U.S.-bound shipping containers for radioactive material.  Roughly 11 million such containers arrive in United States from foreign ports each year.

“This is primarily a political gesture without a great deal of result,” said Representative Don King (R-Alaska).  “What we’re asking for in this bill is the expenditure of a huge amount of dollars.”

Representative Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) said inspections mandated by the bill would cost about $30 to $50 per container, a “modest fee” that would be paid by shippers.

The legislation also seeks to strengthen the Proliferation Security Initiative, a loose partnership between the United States and other nations to interdict the illicit shipment of weapons of mass destruction or related equipment.

The House bill gives the initiative a separate budget, opens membership to non-NATO countries and encourages Russian and China to join.  The bill also calls for a U.N. Security Council resolution codifying the initiative into international law.

Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) described the PSI effort as one of the “most valuable tools in stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction and stopping them from falling into the hands of terrorists.”  However, she cautioned against seeking U.N. involvement in the program, painting the Security Council as ineffective and obstructionist.

The legislation removes the cap on funding to secure weapons of mass destruction and related materials in countries outside the former Soviet Union.  Oversight of such funding would also be strengthened.  Also included are additional funds for fiscal 2007 to support both the Cooperative Threat Reduction program and the Global Threat Reduction Initiative. 

In the Senate, the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee yesterday held a hearing on fully following recommendations of the 2004 Sept. 11 commission report.  Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said he hopes by the end of January to draft a bill “that will take steps forward to adopt some of the unadopted, unimplemented or inadequately implemented parts” of the commission’s recommendations.

Testifying before that committee, former congressman and commission member Tim Roemer urged “maximum effort” in securing weapons of mass destruction and related material.

“We lost 3,000 people on 9/11,” he said.  “We don’t have a convention hall big enough for the mourning that will take place when this country or Europe may be attacked with a nuclear weapon.  We have to do more.”

Testifying before the same committee, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said complete control of the material flowing in and out of the New York metro area’s maritime port is probably beyond possibility.

Asked by Senator John Warner (R-Va.) about his confidence in the security of the port, Bloomberg said, “Without violating any intelligence information, I think we do a not terrible job.”

Inspectors, he said, are likely to spot significant problems but are a long way from inspecting every container.  “And it’s not clear to me that you’d really want to do that.  The cost benefit may not be there,” Bloomberg said.  “The country may have other ways to protect itself with the limited dollars that it has.”

Committee member Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) expressed concerns about the cost of screening 100 percent of inbound cargo.  “This committee has spent a lot of time on that issue,” he said.  “It’s going to cost a lot of money, and I’m not sure we have the technology.  It probably sounds good. We have X number of dollars, what are you going to spend it on?”

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