CNN Lou Dobbs Tonight - Transcripts

CNN Lou Dobbs Tonight - Transcripts
4/28/2005

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DOBBS: U.S. ports remain vulnerable to terrorist attacks because of a lack of federal funding and attention, three-and-a-half years after September 11. Senator Susan Collins of Maine and Congresswoman Jane Harman of California have introduced bipartisan legislation to raise port security funding and to improve port security. Senator Collins and Congresswoman Harman, today, told me, earlier, why their legislation is critical to our national security.

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REP. JANE HARMAN (D), CALIFORNIA: We're spending too little, period, on homeland security, but $9 out of $10 go to airport security, and the $1 goes to port security, and I totally agree with Suzanne Collins that, if I were an al Qaeda plotting to harm the U.S., hitting one of our major ports, like the port of Los Angeles, which is surrounded by my congressional district-which we both visited about a month ago or two months ago-would be where I would go.

One trillion dollars-with a T-is the value of-annual value-of our trade: 95 percent of trade goes through ports, 43 percent of the containers that enter and exit the United States go through the ports of L.A. and Long Beach. And if you hit that, you really interrupt U.S. commerce, you kill a lot of people on the port and around the port, and it's an unmistakable message.

DOBBS: Both of you, obviously well-versed and knowledgeable on the issue of security, post-9/11, and the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. How is it, Senator, Congresswoman, that this country can be in this shape, this vulnerable, specifically with the ports, three- and-a-half years after 9/11?

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS ®, MAINE: Well, we have made some progress and I don't want to minimize that, but I think there's a tendency to always focus on the last threat. When there was the attack using airliners, then we focused on commercial aviation. That is not the way our approach should be. We should do a careful assessment to identify our vulnerabilities and then address the funding to help make us safer, and by any assessment, the possibility that a container coming into this country could be used to smug either al Qaeda terrorists themselves-we know they have been used to smuggle in Chinese illegal immigrants-or whether it would be used to smuggle the makings of a dirty bomb, our ports are at tremendous risk.

HARMAN: And, let me just add to that-strategy, strategy, strategy. The point of forming the Homeland Security Department, which we both strongly supported-and we both think that the new secretary, Michael Chertoff, will be very successful there-was to create a strategy, an integrated national strategy for homeland security. Three years later, we still don't have that. We have the squeaky wheel theory of homeland security, and airports are squeaking loudest.

What we need now, and what our bill would do, would be, require the identification of ports at most risk, and then link them to a dedicated funding stream from customs revenues, so that the money would definitely be there and it wouldn't be moved elsewhere.

But the point is, that we will interrupt commerce totally in the United States of America and harm thousands, if not millions, of people if we don't get our act together.

DOBBS: And, Senator, in conclusion, obviously a bipartisan effort between you and the Congresswoman. What is the likelihood of prompt action and approval in Congress?

COLLINS: Well, as you point out, this is a bipartisan, bicameral effort and I think that increases the chances for success. I believe there's a growing realization among members of Congress that our ports remain one of the biggest vulnerabilities that we have, and if we're going to address this, we're going to make our nation safer, we have to face the fact that we need a dedicated stream of revenues that will support multi-year improvements in security. The Coast Guard has said we should be spending $7.3 billion on port security over the next decade. We're starting down the path of providing the funding that's needed, and I'm hopeful that we will be successful.

HARMAN: And, if I just might add, last night at 11:00 p.m., the House Homeland Security Committee, on which I'm a member, reported a $34 billion annual authorization bill on a unanimous basis. That's a good start, a rare example of bipartisanship in the House, and we need this.

DOBBS: A member, and, point of fact, a ranking member, thank you very much.

Congresswoman Harman, Senator Collins, thank you both, very much.

HARMAN: Thank you, Lou.

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