"America needs an overhauled, comprehensive agency that's engineered to combat the dangers unique to our time," House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas) said.
The bill creates the Cabinet-level department that will include more than 17,000 employees. Among its duties, the new department will be tasked with overseeing U.S. borders, aviation security and defense against bioterrorism.
The House bill, however, was opposed by many democrats, who say the bill actually weakens Homeland security, particularly in the aviation arena. The bill calls for a rolling back of some of the airline security deadlines set last fall.
"I look forward to voting for a good Homeland defense bill that emerges from the Senate," House Democratic Leader Richard A. Gephardt said, "one that strengthens aviation security, not weakens it."
President Bush, on the other hand, seemed quite pleased with the bill's passage during his Monday press conference: "The Department of Homeland Security will draw on the knowledge and experience of every sector in America. We need this department for one main reason: America needs a group of dedicated professionals who wake up each morning with the overriding duty of protecting the American people."
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This month in Access Control
- Opening Up About Door Closers
- An Enterprise Approach
- The Framework For Open Systems
- On A Higher Plane
- More from April's issue
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