On the recordJuly 25, 2023
Today I rise in support of H.R. 4470, and I urge all Members to support this important legislation. Keeping our American homeland secure has been a part of my life for over four decades. Though the threats to our Nation have changed since I first entered the United States Air Force in 1973, I am reminded of our former Commander in Chief Ronald Reagan, who once said: ``Yet peace does not exist of its own will.'' ``We must always remember that peace is a fragile thing that needs constant vigilance.'' This is an important admonition we should keep in mind because on July 27, 2023, this week, the legal authority for the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program, or CFATS for short, will sunset. This means that everything about it--right down to its fundamental legal structure--disappears, including Federal outreach and networking to prevent terrorism against these facilities. Now to be clear, from our perspective on the Energy and Commerce Committee, we should be authorizing this program for longer, but time is of the essence, and today it is vitally important to pass this clean, 26-month CFATS extension. {time} 1830 American businesses have invested billions of dollars in security, expecting a strong return for their efforts. We should not nullify investments that would send a bad message to those who wish to do our Nation harm, a message that Congress doesn't take security at our chemical facilities seriously.…
Source
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