(Albany, New York): -- Congressman Michael R. McNulty (D-Green Island) today joined more than twenty of his House colleagues in sending a letter to President Bush, urging him to halt the pending sale of operations at six American ports to Dubai Ports World (DP World), a company owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The letter declares that Congress must have the opportunity to investigate the national security implications before any such deal can proceed.

“Like Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Hillary Clinton, Governor George Pataki, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King (R-NY), and many of my congressional colleagues from both parties, I am opposed to this sale. In addition, I am an original cosponsor of the emergency legislation to block this sale that will be introduced by Senator Schumer and Chairman King next week,” McNulty said.

The emergency bill will:

• Require the President to place a stay on DP World’s takeover of P&O ports.
• Require the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) commence an immediate 45-day investigation on the takeover’s effects on national security. The bill also requires CFIUS to coordinate with other agencies, such as the Coast Guard, and to take in to consideration past security assessments of ports operated by DP World.
• Require the Secretaries of Homeland Security and the Treasury to prepare a full report and brief members of Congress on their findings.
• Upon receiving the report, Congress would have the authority to disapprove the sale within thirty days.

Following is the text of the letter:

February 23, 2006

Dear Mr. President:

We are writing to urge the Administration to halt the pending deal for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to gain control of significant operations at 20 major U.S. ports on the East and Gulf Coasts of the United States – in the post 9-11 world in which security is paramount. Since September 11th, our national port security is of vital interest; and a contract to a foreign national company over the operation of our nation’s major ports is an inherently bad idea at this moment in time.

The decision by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to allow the sale of port operations to a foreign government raises serious security concerns. We understand CFIUS did not include background checks of senior managers of Dubai Ports World or a study of how the company screens its workers. The failure to conduct such basic evaluations during this time of heightened national security concerns demands a more thorough vetting. This seems particularly easy to understand given at least two of the 9/11 hijackers lived in the United Arab Emirates prior to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and that money that helped to finance the attacks on American soil came from the UAE.

This is not a trade issue, as the Administration has claimed; and far more ports are involved than has been reported. If the UAE wants to buy from us, they are welcome to do that. The 20 ports include the major East Coast ports and those along the Gulf coasts, through which the nation’s food and oil pass daily. Having a foreign government in control of critical port functions like securing cargo and the hiring of security personnel is too high of a risk for the American people at vulnerable U.S. ports.

We expect Congress to act on this at the first opportunity, on Monday or Tuesday of next week. We believe bipartisan legislation will have the support of nearly all members of Congress. And we hope you will cease the talk of vetoing any legislation Congress will pass in the national interest. Congress and the President are co-equal branches of government. It is important to note that 270 members of the House of Representatives and 67 Senators can override a veto we determine to be opposed to the national interest.

This is unquestionably not in the national interest, and most certainly cannot be done beyond the public eye. We respectfully request you stay the decision on this matter and conduct a more thorough review of this particular purchase with such gargantuan access to vulnerable infrastructure and insights into our port security.

                             END OF LETTER

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