Dianne Feinstein: “Today I voted for the Thompson substitute amendment to the Homeland Security Act--the largest restructuring of the…”

“Today I voted for the Thompson substitute amendment to the Homeland Security Act--the largest restructuring of the Federal Government in over 50 years and perhaps the most important legislation considered in this Congress. This historic legislation would create a new department combining some 22 Federal agencies with what would amount to about 200,000 Federal employees. The bill would create one of the biggest departments in the U.S. Government, with an initial annual budget of at least $37 billion. I voted for this legislation because our current terrorism policy is terribly disjointed and fragmented. I have long supported additional efforts to consolidate and coordinate our terrorism policy. Currently, homeland security functions are scattered among more than 100 different Government organizations. There is much unnecessary overlap and duplication. There is also a failure to communicate and share information--making it hard to for the law enforcement and intelligence community to 'connect the dots' to prevent a terrorist attack. I also voted for the bill because I believe our country is currently at great risk.”