Chuck Grassley: “I rise today to express frustration and disappointment with a provision included in the fiscal year 2007 Homeland…”

“I rise today to express frustration and disappointment with a provision included in the fiscal year 2007 Homeland Security appropriations bill. The provision would extend the deadline for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative from 2008 to 2009. On August 2 Senate Finance Committee held a hearing to highlight the problems at our Nation's borders. We heard testimony from the Government Accountability Office, GAO, about their undercover border crossings over the last 3 years. The GAO agents used fake documents, phony driver's licenses, and claims of U.S. citizenship in order to enter the United States. According to the GAO, their undercover agents got past the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol 42 of 45 times. CBP failed to catch the intruders 93 percent of the time, proving that anyone with a fake identification and a tall tale can get waived right in the United States. The committee also heard some very strong evidence as to why the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, WHTI/Initiative, is important and why we should make sure this law is implemented by the deadline established by Congress.”