Today’s NorthJersey.com story by Herb Jackson is the latest in a series of stories about how the mis-mash of congressional oversight is hampering the ability of DHS to perform its mission. The words of former NJ Governor Tom Kean are particularly appropriate, and Congressional leadership should pay close attention. Check out the story for some excellent reading.
Homeland Security hampered by maze of oversight – NorthJersey.com
The House of Representatives has been in session 46 days so far this year. And in that time, officials from the Department of Homeland Security have testified at 45 House hearings.
The one-a-day average illustrates what former New Jersey Gov. Thomas H. Kean Sr. calls the “dysfunctional” way Congress treats a department intended to maintain a laser-like focus on keeping the homeland safe.
Rival committees battle over power, and sometimes provide conflicting instructions as division directors and undersecretaries scurry around Capitol Hill to hearings and briefings.
Every homeland security secretary since the department was created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks has urged Congress to cut a bureaucracy that gives more than 100 House and Senate committees and subcommittees authority over pieces of the agency.
Nothing changes, however.
