Janice Hahn: “My amendment would increase funding for port security grants by $75 million. I came to Congress to really bring the…”

“My amendment would increase funding for port security grants by $75 million. I came to Congress to really bring the issue of our ports into our national dialogue and how important they are to our economy, to our jobs, to our national security. I've been the cofounder, with my friend Ted Poe, of the Congressional Ports Caucus. As a Representative of a district that borders one of the largest ports in the country, this issue is very important to me. The lessons of 9/11 have taught us that we must continuously be vigilant in proactively seeking out and preventing our country's most pressing threats. The Port Security Grant Program helps address these threats by providing key funding to port areas for enhancing maritime security. We have millions of tons of cargo shipments coming into ports across this country, and they provide viable entry points for terrorists who seek to use weapons of mass destruction. When people ask me what keeps me up at night, it's the thought of what could happen at one of our ports and what that would mean not only to our national economy but to the global economy. An attack at our Nation's ports could severely damage our own fragile economy right now and cause a ripple effect across the global supply chain. This requires us to take proactive steps and invest in critical detection and response operations and equipment.…”