The proposed sale of facilities and operational control of six major U.S. seaports to Dubai Ports World, a government-owned company in the United Arab Emirates, continues to dominate news, generating public concern and instigating rigorous debate among elected officials.

As many who have followed the port issue know, Congress had no involvement in the Bush Administration’s decision to approve the proposed takeover. In fact, that absence of transparency and review by Congress has angered lawmakers from both parties, many who are now demanding changes to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the interagency panel that approved the deal. Clearly the system, a process more vested in investment concerns than our safety and security at home, is flawed and must be corrected.

            I am proud to have consistently supported President Bush on issues most important to our nation’s commerce, economic prosperity and national security. However, I have too many reservations about UAE control of our largest domestic ports to stand with the President on this issue. Our ports are an especially vulnerable component of homeland security. Though foreign corporations have owned U.S. ports for many years, turning over operational control to an Islamic country with a history of terrorist ties, in an unstable Al-Qaeda friendly region, is far less suitable to our security concerns than the current British-based parent company.

Some, like the President, argue that this position indicates undue prejudice toward a particular region of the world in an era characterized by the rapid expansion of global unity in trade and commerce. I appreciate our strategic partnership with the United Arab Emirates and their cooperation with our mission to defeat global terror. But no matter how innocuous their intentions may be, security threats at home remain too grave to allow their Government to own and operate critical U.S. Infrastructure. We simply cannot do anything to compromise our safety.

Each year, 108 million cargo containers are transported among seaports around the world, constituting the most critical component of global trade.  In fiscal year 2004, more than 9.6 million maritime containers arrived at United States seaports, an average of 26,000 a day. Congress has appropriated $912 million for port security grants throughout the past five years along with $934 million for advanced inspection and radiation detection technology for cargo screening. Congress has also allocated $62 million for a container security initiative designed to push out our nation’s defensive perimeter and provide early warning of high risk cargo to allow for early and complete inspection of all warranted targets. The shared goal of the President and Congress has been to secure ports without disrupting the free flow of commerce.

Despite Dubai Ports World recent agreement to delay purchase pending a 45 day Congressional review, I don’t believe any new information can be brought to light that will satisfy the concerns of many about this deal. Several House Members, including House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter are already pushing legislation to kill the Dubai Ports World bid. I will be taking a close look at several of these legislative proposals in the days ahead.

It is interesting to note that a similar situation occurred in the late 1990’s when China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), a commercial shipping company and subsidiary of the People’s Liberation Army linked to arms trading in the Middle East, brokered an agreement to lease a container terminal on the site of a closed naval station in Long Beach, CA. The deal raised serious concerns about smuggling, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and foreign intelligence collection. The Defense Authorization Act for FY 1998-1999 contained a compromise to prohibit the lease to COSCO but allow the President to waive the ban if he saw fit. An amendment was later added in conference to remove the waiver authority. I supported the Conference report and President Clinton later signed it into law.

Homeland security is the number one priority of this Congress. Since September 11, 2001, the federal government has focused extraordinary attention and resources on securing our borders and ports of entry. The Department of Homeland Security is continuing ambitious efforts to defend our nation by strengthening security at airports, borders and ports; improving intelligence infrastructure and information sharing between law enforcement agencies; and assisting emergency technicians with training and technology necessary to manage potential new threats. My legislative record is proof positive of my strong advocacy of Homeland Security initiatives, a record I intend to fiercely preserve.

RON LEWIS

                                                                                                Member of Congress