U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08), Ranking Democratic Member of the Emergency Preparedness, Science and Technology Subcommittee within the House Committee on Homeland Security, issued the following statement today regarding Secretary Chertoff's plan to overhaul the Homeland Security Department:

 "As it currently stands the Department is in need of serious repair.  More than two years after its creation we see organizational confusion, bureaucratic ineptitude and a glaring lack of cohesion within its various components.  I commend Secretary Chertoff for tackling what has become an urgent problem.

 "Today the Secretary offered a broad vision to improve his agency.  In order to finally fulfill it critical mission we know that DHS must increase its preparedness capabilities with greater focus on catastrophic events; that it must strengthen border security and harden transportation security.  We understand that its intelligence gathering and information sharing capabilities must be augmented and that the organizational structure itself must be realigned to better meet national security goals.

 "I am pleased that the Secretary has focused on these areas and agrees with what members of the Homeland Security Committee have been saying for some time.  And while it appears that Secretary Chertoff is taking steps in the right direction, Congress must maintain aggressive vigilance to ensure that all changes made do in fact make America safer. 

 "Unfortunately, there were aspects to Secretary Chertoff's speech that were disheartening.  Less than a week after the London bombings and a year after Madrid, I found the Secretary's remarks on rail security inexplicably short.  We know rail is a serious target and we need a much stronger federal commitment to its security than we have today. This is an issue that can no longer be put on the back-burner and the Department needs to realize this now.

"Likewise, I would have liked to have heard greater direction given on how the Department intends to deal specifically with nuclear and chemical plant security.  While I understand that additional details of the Secretary's proposals will be forthcoming in the following months, the dangers that lurk are immediate and we must move with urgency.

"I look forward to continuing to work with Secretary Chertoff and my colleagues on the Homeland Security Committee to help mold the Department into an organization that truly advances our nation's security needs."

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