José E. Serrano: “I rise in reluctant but strong opposition to the Homeland Security Act before us today. It has been clear since…”

“I rise in reluctant but strong opposition to the Homeland Security Act before us today. It has been clear since September 11th--indeed it was clear well before that date--that the Federal government needs to change to better face the threats posed by terrorists, to better coordinate and focus prevention, preparation, and response efforts. The bill before us attempts to do that. But I have several serious concerns with the approach the President and the majority are taking. First, let me praise the Select Committee for including in the new department an Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. This represents an acknowledgement that our fundamental values must be preserved as we fight against forces that seek to destroy those values. However, on a number of other issues, equally important values, such as fairness and openness, are undercut. I am deeply concerned that what is proposed in this bill goes too far too fast and actually risks disrupting our efforts to detect and prevent future terrorist acts against America and Americans.”