HOUSE COMMITTEE WANTS COAST GUARD OUT OF HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT

HOUSE COMMITTEE WANTS COAST GUARD OUT OF HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT    The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted Thursday to keep the Coast Guard out of the Bush administration’s proposed Homeland Security Department.
   “We’ve given the Coast Guard a great deal of work to do and they have always carried out their duties with distinction,” said Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, chairman of the committee. “If the Secretary of Homeland Security wants to commit his entire effort to preventing terrorist attacks, under this bill he can reduce the resources of the Coast Guard for these other missions and direct those resources entirely to security.”
   In addition to terrorism, the Coast Guard, an agency of the Transportation Department, is responsible for search-and-rescue missions, combating drug smuggling, and protecting the marine environment and fisheries.
   The Federal Emergency Management Agency was also not approved by the committee for transfer to the Homeland Security Department.
   The newly formed Transportation Security Administration was approved for transfer to the Homeland Security Department. However, the transfer would not take place until senior management positions are filled and explosive detection is in place at all airports. In addition, the transportation secretary must certify that adequate level of airport security and law enforcement officers are in place for screening at the nation’s airports, the committee said.
   Customs is expected to be the lead agency in Homeland Security Department’s border security operations.
   “I hope that we can all be sure that the Department of Homeland Security can indeed keep our country secure from terrorist attacks, while preserving all the important missions that these many agencies carry out each day,” Young said.