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Congress Holding Hearings on Bush's Plan to Create Department of Homeland Security

Aired June 25, 2002 - 11:33   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Congress is holding hearings today on President Bush's plan to create a Department of Homeland Security. Homeland security director Tom Ridge is back on Capitol Hill where he is answering questions for lawmakers.

Our congressional correspondent Kate snow has been following the developments on the Hill this morning, and she checks in now live.

Hello, Kate.

KATE SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Leon.

Well you know, this is the proposal coming from the president for a new Homeland Security Department. It's such an enormous change. It covers a whole lot of ground. What is happening up here in Congress this week is you are seeing a lot of different committees and subcommittees taking just a slice of this homeland security proposal and looking at those different slices.

Today, the slice is being looked at by a House subcommittee is everything that has to do with fighting against bioterrorism, nuclear attack, the prospect of chemical weapons. It's a sub committee of an energy committee looking at those various issues.

A couple of themes coming out so far. If you are moving whole sections over to this new Department of Homeland Security. For example, scientist who are now studying anthrax who work at CDC for example. How do you make sure that when you move them to homeland security, those who don't deal with terrorism, in other words, those scientists who just do the science of anthrax and medical research, how do you make sure they are able to do their research while everyone else is focused on homeland security?

Another concern coming up this morning, a lot of questions about who will report to whom and who is ultimately in charge of this new department.

One congressman asked specifically about radiation detectors placed at U.S. borders. He said, who is going to decide where to put those radiation detectors, and at what level they should be set. How much radiation is too much?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. BART STUPAK (D), MICHIGAN: Here you got Customs coming in, saying do this. Then they say, well, we really don't know anything about it, so we give it to DoE. They contract to DoE. DoE says, good idea, we should do a standard, but we don't know what it is. Let's contract one of our a labs. Now we are three rungs down the ladder. How is this ever going to get done. We need someone to take the bull by the horns and say, get it done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY DIR.: Congressman, I think you reflect a challenge not only for homeland security in terms how those three departments operate, but overall, the operation of the federal government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: Who is going to get it done, a very good question. A tiny little piece there, Leon, of what they're looking at here on Capitol Hill. But a very good example of the kind of minutiae that every committee is going to look at before they make recommendations.

At another point, another Congressman asked, should the part of EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, that deals with drinking water, really be moved over as the president is suggesting into the new Homeland Security Department. And Governor's Ridge's response to that was, well, we think so, but if Congress wants to make a change to this, you can feel free -- Leon.

HARRIS: All right, good deal. Thanks, Kate. Kate Snow, keeping it straight for us. We appreciate it.

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