Jim Langevin: “today I rise to ask all Members to fully fund the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office within the Department of Homeland…”

“today I rise to ask all Members to fully fund the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office within the Department of Homeland Security. My amendment will add $36 million to the DNDO for a total of $536 million, the exact amount requested by the President. My amendment would increase the funding to the amount authorized also by the Safe Ports Act which passed this House just a few weeks ago by the overwhelming margin of 421-2. The DNDO was created within the Department of Homeland Security to develop, acquire and deploy the global nuclear detection architecture to prevent nuclear material from being smuggled into our country. The office coordinates with a variety of public and private sector organizations, including the Departments of Defense, Energy and State, the FBI, State, local and tribal governments. The office is jointly staffed by experts from many of these agencies. As the ranking member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on the Prevention of Nuclear and Biological Attack, I have to say, Mr. Chairman, I am kept awake at night by the fear that a terrorist could smuggle nuclear material across our borders to detonate a bomb in one of our cities. These radiation detectors are our last best chance to prevent a catastrophic nuclear or radiological attack, and our intelligence analysts tell us the threat is very real. The DNDO is already in the process of deploying radiation detectors at our border crossings, ports and other points of entry.…”