HOW EFFECTIVELY IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ASSISTING STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN PREPARING FOR A BIOLOGICAL, CHEMICAL OR NUCLEAR ATTACK? FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2002 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY, FINANCIAL Denver, CO. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m., at the Jefferson County Municipal Building, 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Hon. Stephen Horn (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Representatives Horn and Tancredo. Staff present: J. Russell George, staff director, chief counsel; Dave Bartel, chief of staff; Bonnie Heald, deputy staff director; Chris Barkley, assistant to the subcommittee; and Michael Sazonov, staff assistant. Mr. HORN. A quorum being present, this hearing of the Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management and Intergovernmental Relations will come to order. On September 11, 2001, the world witnessed the most devastating attacks ever committed on U.S. soil. Despite the damage and enormous loss of life, the attacks failed to cripple this Nation. To the contrary, Americans have never been more united in their fundamental belief in freedom and their willingness to protect that freedom. The diabolical nature of those attacks and then the deadly release of anthrax sent a loud and clear message to all Americans: We must be prepared for the unexpected. We must have the mechanisms in place to protect this Nation and its people from further attempts to cause massive destruction. The aftermath of September 11th clearly demonstrated the need for adequate communications systems and rapid deployment of well-trained emergency personnel. Yet despite billions of dollars in spending on Federal emergency programs, there remain serious doubts as to whether the Nation is equipped to handle a massive chemical, biological or nuclear attack. Today, the subcommittee will examine how effectively Federal, State, and local agencies are working together to prepare for such emergencies. We want those who live in the great State of Colorado and the good people of cities such as Golden and Denver to know that they can rely on these systems should the need arise. We are fortunate to have witnesses today whose valuable experience and insight will help the subcommittee better understand the needs of those on the front lines. We want to hear about their capabilities and their challenges. And we want to know what the Federal Government can do to help. We welcome all of our witnesses and we look forward to their testimony. We are very pleased to have with us today as a member of this subcommittee, and without objection, he will have full rights to question and also to have his rights, and that's your own representative, Tom Tancredo. We would like to have an opening statement from him. [The prepared statement of Hon. Stephen Horn follows:] A quorum being present, this hearing of the Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, On September 11th, 2001, the world witnessed the most devastating attacks ever The aftermath of September 11th clearly demonstrated the need for adequate communications systems and rapid deployment of well-trained emergency personnel. Yet despite billions of dollars in spending on Federal emergency programs, there remain serious doubts as to whether the Nation is equipped to handle a massive chemical, biological or nuclear attack. Today, the subcommittee will examine how effectively Federal, State and local agencies are working together to prepare for such emergencies. We want those who live in the great State of Colorado and the good people of cities such as Golden and Denver to know that they can rely on these systems, should the need arise. We are fortunate to have witnesses today whose valuable experience and insight will help the subcommittee better understand the needs of those on the front lines. We want to hear about their capabilities and their challenges. And we want to know what the Federal Government can do to help. We welcome all of our witnesses and look forward to their testimony. EXHIBIT HUNTER & GEIST Mr. TANCREDO. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you very much, for-and thanks to the committee for coming to Colorado to discuss these issues. I am pleased because of what I have seen up to this point in time in terms of the way that the State has responded. I am very interested in knowing in more detail exactly how that coordination and cooperation has taken shape in Colorado, as are you and is the Nation. I hope that the Federal Government is going to be able to provide a certain model for this kind of cooperation through the creation of the homeland defense agency where we, in fact, are attempting to take those agencies that have a responsibility for homeland defense and not just have them cooperating on an interagency basis, but having them part of a single agency with a single purpose, one director, so that everybody seems to be, hopefully, on the same page. This is, of course-The proposal has passed the house, and I am certainly looking forward to it passing in the Senate. I know that the President has proposed it and is enthusiastically supporting it. So I think it is, in a way, a good model, at least in terms of the way he describes it, the way people can work together. We are not looking for a similar legislatively directed creation of cooperation here in the State, but I think that we can look at what has happened here and, hopefully, around the country and take some hope away from this. We are going to be asking people here who think about the unthinkable, to help us through this process, and give everyone, I suppose, a feeling of security; not a false sense of security, but a real sense of security because they know that good people put their minds together to come up with programs that will work and be effective. And so I certainly look forward to the testimony today. And I again want to express my sincere appreciation for you and the committee to come out here and prepare for this. [The prepared statements of Hon. Tom Tancredo and Hon. Mark Udall follow:] Committee on Government Reform Government Efficiency, Financial Management, Golden, Colorado August 23, 2002 Opening Statement for: CONGRESSMAN TOM TANCREDO Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the committee for coming to Colorado to discuss our homeland security. In these days, when we can't be sure where the next attack is coming from we have to make all efforts to keep our country safe and secure. We have many challenges and must work with the president and one another to achieve that goal. What we have to do as a country is focus on the hear and now. We have to listen to the people whose job it is to keep us safe and bring assistance when the unimaginable happens. With the creation of the Homeland Defense Department, we are taking the first step to bring safety and tranquility back to our country. In the Homeland Security Department we will bring the coordination element that is so desperately needed between all our responders. I thank you. EXHIBIT 2 HUNTER & GEIST |