Janice Hahn: “I would like to begin by recognizing and thanking Chairman King and Ranking Member Thompson for their continued…”

“I would like to begin by recognizing and thanking Chairman King and Ranking Member Thompson for their continued leadership on this incredibly important issue. The lessons of 9/11 have taught us we must be continuously vigilant and proactive in seeking out and preventing our country's most pressing threats. That's why, after 9/11, this Congress strengthened what proved to be one of our Nation's biggest security threats up to that point: aviation security. And while I applaud the great strides we've made in aviation security, we have not made the same level of improvements in port security. This was such a priority for me when I came to Congress last summer that, at my very first Homeland Security hearing focusing on the 9/11 Commission's recommendations to Congress, I asked Lee Hamilton, the vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission, What should Congress be doing to improve security at our Nation's ports? He responded by saying, My judgment would be that we have not focused enough on ports. This lack of focus on our ports not only jeopardizes our national security, but our economic security as well. The U.S. ports remain one of our country's greatest economic resources, as they provide our Nation with the link to the rest of the world and the global economy. Each day, U.S. ports move both imports and exports, totaling some $3.8 billion worth of goods, through all 50 States.…”