Mr. Daniel B. Walsh
President & CEO
Business Council of New York State, Inc.
152 Washington Avenue Albany, New York 12210
Dear Mr. Walsh:
At a meeting with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff today, I
specifically called upon the Secretary to champion threat and risk-based
funding for all Homeland Security Programs and urged support for my efforts
to create a Northern Border Coordinator at the Department of Homeland Security.
Following the meeting, I joined Secretary Chertoff, Senator Chuck Schumer
and Mayor Michael Bloomberg for a briefing on rail safety at Grand Central
Station.
The following is a copy of the letter I gave to Secretary Chertoff this
morning addressing threat-based funding and Northern Border concerns.
April 25, 2005
Dear Mr. Secretary:
It was good to meet with you prior to your confirmation and I look forward
to continuing our discussion on how to work to help make New York's and our
nation's homeland defense as strong as possible.
I wanted to follow up on a number of issues that I raised in my February
15 letter to you as well as some additional issues.
I. Threat-Based Funding
I have long championed the need to use threat and risk-based formulas for
the allocation of critical homeland security funding to our local communities,
states, and first responders. I know that you agree with the need to allocate
these resources in this way, and are aware that President Bush's proposed
budget for Fiscal Year 2006 called for threat and risk-based funding for
the State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSG). While that is a positive
step, I also hope that you will use all resources and authority available
to you to implement threat and risk-based funding in all the homeland security
programs intended for our local governments and states.
I raise this because on a number of occasions, Secretary Ridge had acknowledged
the need for threat and risk-based funding, but there was little evidence
of any significant effort on the part of the Administration to push for the
use of a better funding formula. Indeed, it was the Department of Homeland
Security that initially chose to allocate resources in the SHSG Program based
on population alone. Unfortunately, Congressional appropriators, in Fiscal
Year 2005, required the use of a formula that was based on population alone,
just as the Department of Homeland Security affirmatively chose to do in
Fiscal Year 2004.
I hope that the Fiscal Year 2006 appropriations legislation will contain
no such language. I will again call upon the appropriators to do what is
in the best interest of homeland defense and not require a population-based
formula, but, at the end of the day, it will require significant leadership
on your part specifically, and the Bush Administration in general, to encourage
Senate and House leadership to propose a homeland security appropriations
bill that reflects threats.
II. Northern Border Concerns
Last week, I introduced legislation establishing a Northern Border Coordinator
at the Department of Homeland Security. I hope you will support this legislation.
For too long, Northern Border security has received the short end of the
stick when it comes to federal resources. While we have made some progress
in increasing resources along the border, much more needs to be done. That
is why I have long advocated for better coordination on Northern Border security,
both within U.S. government agencies and between the U.S. and Canada.
My bill would establish the position of Northern Border Coordinator within
the Directorate of Border and Transportation Security of the Department of
Homeland Security. Specifically, the Northern Border Coordinator would be
responsible for devising and implementing measures to increase the security
of the border between the United States and Canada and the ports of entry
located along the border; improving the coordination between the agencies
responsible for that security; serving as the primary liaison with state
and local governments and law enforcement agencies regarding security along
the border between the U.S. and Canada; and serving as a liaison with the
Canadian government on border security.
The recent announcement about a passport requirement for crossing the border
demonstrates the need for a Northern Border Coordinator. A Northern Border
Coordinator, acting as a liaison with border communities, could have raised
a red flag about the impact of this requirement on border communities.
Because of the importance of this issue, as a follow-up to my April 15 letter
to you and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, I want to reiterate my concerns
with respect to the April 5, 2005, announcement by the Department of Homeland
Security and Department of State that would require United States and Canadian
citizens to utilize a passport to enter the U.S. from Canada.
According to that announcement, the Departments of State and Homeland
Security are pursuing a "Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative" that would "require
all U.S. citizens, Canadians, citizens of the British Overseas Territory
of Bermuda, and citizens of Mexico to have a passport or other accepted secure
document to enter or re-enter the U.S. by January 1, 2008." The media note
also states that other documents may be determined to be acceptable, including "the
Customs and Border Protection Secure Electronic Network for Travelers
Rapid Inspection (SENTRI), NEXUS and Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program
cards."
President Bush subsequently expressed surprise that U.S. citizens would
be required to show a passport and has directed that a review of the initiative
be undertaken to determine whether there are alternatives. While President
Bush reportedly referred to the large number of crossings that would be affected
in his home state of Texas, I can attest to the equally profound impact on
the State of New York.
National security and, in particular, security at our borders, must continue
to be paramount and I have made security at New York's Northern Border a
top priority since September 11, 2001. However, it is crucial that any new
requirement be sensitive to the potentially serious impact of this proposal
on tourism and the regional economy. I would again urge that the Department
of Homeland Security, along with the State Department, consider this proposal
very carefully and take into account the concerns of the business and residential
communities along New York's Northern Border.
I also hope that you will work to ensure the Northern Border receives the
necessary level of attention and resources to provide ample staffing and
to implement technological advances at the earliest possible time. This is
especially important because the Northern Border has traditionally not received
enough federal resources or attention. Through large annual increases in
border patrol agents and other initiatives, I am convinced that it is possible
to enhance border security, while facilitating the binational trade and tourism
between Canada and the U.S. that so many of my constituents depend on for
their livelihood.
