By Guest Contributor Jena Baker McNeil
Congress just got back from recess and it makes me wish it was summer. The fall legislative agenda leaves much to be desired. Eight years after the attacks of 9/11, you would think that Congress would be thinking smarter about homeland security. But the agenda is filled with lots of bad bills, bumper sticker legislation that doesn’t make Americans any safer.
In a recent Heritage WebMemo, my colleagues and I discuss the Do’s and Don’ts of Homeland Security for the fall. Among the Don’ts is PASS ID, which would basically roll back the 9/11 Recommendations dedicated to improving driver’s license security as well as the Homeowners Defense Act, a disastrous move to make all Americans subsidize hurricane response.
Congress should have a different “To-Do” list. It could do things like scrapping the ill-conceived 100 percent scanning mandates, or reforming the pork barrel homeland security grant program. These steps make Americans safer, while keeping us free and prosperous.
There’s no doubt our nation is safer because of legislation Congress has enacted since 9/11, over 23 terrorist plots foiled since 9/11 demonstrates this success. In order to maintain this progress, however, legislators must resist dumb initiatives that add no security while impairing invaluable aspects of American life. It is time for Congress to exert some leadership and set the tone for homeland security for the rest of the year.
