Securing the Cities Improvement Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Correa for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the Securing the Cities Improvement Act, a critical piece of legislation designed to help us build and maintain our Nation's security capabilities.

Specifically, this bill provides participating cities with more reliable guidance and support from the Department of Homeland Security's Securing the Cities program, which seeks to reduce the risk of terrorist attacks in high-risk urban areas, like my hometown of New Orleans.

I want to specifically thank Ranking Member Bennie Thompson and Congressman Clay Higgins for their support and for cosponsoring this bill. I also thank Lou Correa for managing the bill today and Chairman Green for his leadership, as well as the Homeland Security Committee staff, especially Lauren McClain, who tirelessly led us through this effort.

The need for this legislation has been tragically underscored by the recent terrorist attacks in the city of New Orleans on New Year's Day, which claimed 15 lives and left dozens of others injured.

In the early hours of New Year's Day, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas drove a rented Ford F-150 pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter neighborhood during the city's New Year's Eve celebration. After crashing, he exited the vehicle and engaged in a shootout with law enforcement before being fatally shot by courageous New Orleans police officers who rushed to the scene, putting themselves in harm's way to protect our citizens, visitors, and guests.

Prior to the pickup truck's attack, the terrorist planted two improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, concealed within coolers at separate locations along crowded Bourbon Street. These rudimentary pipe bombs were filled with shrapnel materials, such as nails, screws, and tacks, and were designed for remote detonation using a wireless device found in his vehicle. Luckily, he was not able to detonate these bombs and cause any further carnage.

An ISIS flag was found in the truck, and the FBI confirmed that ISIS had not coordinated with the attacker but, in fact, had inspired him.

This heinous and sick act of cowardice not only shattered the lives of victims and their families but also exposed vulnerabilities in our urban security infrastructure.

While the New Orleans attack did not involve radiological or nuclear materials, it serves as a grim reminder of the evolving tactics of terrorists and the potential for more catastrophic methods used. It also underscores why continued security investments in New Orleans and other highly targeted cities with programs like Securing the Cities are so crucial.

The Department of Homeland Security launched the Securing the Cities initiative in 2007 as a pilot program to assist the New York City metro area in detecting and preventing nuclear or radiological threats. The program has since expanded and currently provides 14 municipal governments nationwide, including the city of New Orleans, with detection equipment, training, exercise support, operational and technological expertise, and programmatic assistance, which makes a huge difference.

However, the program participation criteria has caused uncertainty and inconsistencies for cities that rely on this support. Eligibility for the program is currently restricted to high-risk urban areas as determined by FEMA under the Urban Area Security Initiative program, under which the composition of jurisdictions can vary from year to year. This eligibility criteria led to some jurisdictions being funded and supported by the Securing the Cities program in one year but not the next. The inconsistency has caused great harm.

This bill clears up the eligibility criteria for the program so that it can be a steady, reliable source of support for cities. It removes the statutory requirement restricting participation in the program to areas designated by FEMA. Instead, it requires Homeland Security's Office of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction to decide which cities to partner with for the program based on the jurisdiction's capability and capacity to prepare and respond to terrorist attacks and other high-consequence events.

This legislation also sets performance metrics and goals for the Department of Homeland Security to report back to Congress.

Through these changes, the Securing the Cities Improvement Act offers a more targeted and effective approach to national security preparedness and response. It ensures that our cities that need support are reliably equipped with advanced detection technologies and will have the infrastructure and training to utilize them ready at hand.

Last Congress, this bill passed the House and the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and I hope it will be signed into law this Congress.

Passing this legislation is a proactive step toward safeguarding our citizens from the unimaginable. By enhancing our detection and response capabilities, we deter adversaries from contemplating radiological or nuclear attacks and reassure the public that our commitment to their safety is sound, real, and committed.

In memory of the lives lost in New Orleans and in recognition of ever-present and evolving threats, I urge my colleagues to support the Securing the Cities Improvement Act.

Let's honor the victims by taking decisive action to protect our Nation from future atrocities and future acts of cowardice. We are America. We stand firm in our protection.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1374.

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