Judd Gregg: “In the Senate this year, we have considered this homeland security bill during two very different times of crisis. When…”

“In the Senate this year, we have considered this homeland security bill during two very different times of crisis. When the bill was on the floor of the Senate in July, the reprehensible train bombings in London had just occurred and there was a desire to increase funding for rail security. Now, we consider this conference report during the immediate aftershock of two damaging hurricanes in the gulf coast, which demolished entire cities and towns. And there has been a call and an urgency to provide Federal financial help. We have met that call through significant--very significant--supplemental emergency funds. While these funds need to be monitored to make sure they are spent wisely and prudently, it is appropriate to help get the people in these areas back on their feet. And it is important to remember that this is an emergency, and emergency needs are being addressed through tens of billions of dollars that have been approved. The conference report we are considering today addresses the Department of Homeland Security as a whole. It is an amalgamation of 22 Federal agencies and it encompasses the broad spectrum of homeland security needs. But first and foremost, the Department must be focused on the national security of our country. The conference report before us builds on that.…”