Political Quotes

“I thank the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill to extend the authority for the Department of Homeland Security's Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards, or CFATS, program for 2 years. The CFATS program provides critical national security protections. We should all be alarmed that it is on the verge of lapsing. Unless this bill becomes law, or the President reconsiders his shutdown of many parts of the Federal Government, the CFATS program will expire in 10 days. The program is not perfect, but it should be continued. The 2-year extension will give the committees of jurisdiction time to consider important improvements to the program without fear that the program will lapse. Since before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, experts have been concerned about the vulnerability of chemical plants to terrorist attacks. These facilities hold large stores of industrial chemicals that pose a safety and security risk to the American people if they are released or detonated. A recent report found that more than 134 million Americans live in the vulnerability zones around chemical facilities. The communities most at risk are disproportionately low-income communities and communities of color. I have been an advocate for increased safety and security at our Nation's chemical facilities for many years, well before the CFATS program was established in 2006.…”