HARMAN COMMENTS ON GRAHAM-TALENT WMD REPORT

Says “It’s time to retire the fear card”

Washington, D.C. Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA), Chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence & Terrorism Risk Assessment, issued the following statement following today’s release of the Graham-Talent WMD report “World At Risk”:

“Much in this report, prepared by a top-notch bipartisan team led by former Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Bob Graham and Republican House Member Jim Talent, is important.  However, it’s time to retire the fear card. 

“We need to educate and inform the American people, not terrify them with alarming details about possible threats to the homeland.  While the danger of a terrorist attack using biological, radiological or nuclear weapons is real, preparing the public and training prevention and response teams must be a top priority of the new Administration.  Comments yesterday by President-elect Obama and DHS Secretary-nominee Napolitano about working more closely with America’s first responders – something the Bush Administration resisted for eight years – are spot on.

“Congress has in fact done a great deal to minimize and mitigate WMD threats – from port security legislation to helping DHS identify and harden critical infrastructure, among other measures.  The report’s recommendations on domestic bio-security and a nuclear fuel bank reflect legislation pending in the House and Senate.  The public should be aware of the substantial progress that’s been made in the past few years.

“Yesterday’s roll-out of the President-elect’s national security team signifies that very capable nominees will use the full range of US power to combat the serious terror threat.  Now it’s time for the rhetoric about that threat to calm instead of inflame an anxious public.”

The same bill that authorized the Graham-Talent Commission, H.R. 1, also mandated information sharing on bio-terrorism threats and tightening of the visa waiver program.  Additional actions undertaken at Congress’s urging in recent years include:

1.  NRC, DOE and DHS are working to secure radiological materials in hospitals.
2.  DHS created one integrated strategic list of vulnerable infrastructure to better allocate budget resources and personnel efforts.
3.  DHS has created a Small Boats Strategy to mitigate USS Cole and Mumbai-style threats to US ships and US ports.
4.  TSA has made the threat of explosives on airplanes the highest screening priority – rather than pocket knives and cuticle scissors.
5.  Pending legislation to improve bio-security at domestic facilities (H.R. 6671 and S. 3127).

Congresswoman Harman was a member of the 1999-2000 congressionally mandated Commission on Terrorism and served eight years on the House Intelligence Committee, the final four as Ranking Member.

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