Thomas Daschle: “The homeland defense bill is one-half of our economic stimulus plan, first and foremost. It responds to the economists…”

“The homeland defense bill is one-half of our economic stimulus plan, first and foremost. It responds to the economists across the country who have said, if you are going to improve the economy, if you are going to strengthen our economic circumstances, the very best way to do it--in fact, the only way to ensure that it happens--is to make sure the confidence level of all Americans improves. Confidence has been shaken. The only way we can address it effectively is by ensuring that, regardless of where they travel, regardless of their circumstances at home, the mail they are now receiving--that under any circumstances we begin to put the safety back into our system, safety that we have lost since September 11. That is what homeland defense is all about. Read the headlines in almost any daily newspaper. You don't need any more evidence than that, that we have a set of circumstances unlike this country has seen before. God forbid we have another event tomorrow, an attack within the week.”