Terrorism

Chronology

Friday, October 15, 2004
Republican Bill Fails to Address 9/11 Commission Recommendations
Rep. Turner, Ranking Member on the Select Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Waxman release an updated analysis that compares the 41 recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission to H.R. 10, the legislation developed by House Republican leadership and passed by the House on October 8. The analysis finds that the Republican bill fully implements only 11 of the Commission's recommendations and contains over 50 extraneous provisions.
- The Report: Analysis of H.R. 10

Wednesday, October 06, 2004
H.R. 10 Fails to Address 9/11 Commission Recommendations
Rep. Turner, Ranking Member on the Select Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Waxman release a new analysis that compares the 41 recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission to H.R. 10, the legislation developed by House Republican leadership being considered tomorrow on the House floor. The analysis finds that the Republican bill fully implements only 11 of the Commission's recommendations and contains over 50 extraneous provisions.
- Press Release
- The Report: Analysis of H.R. 10

Wednesday, September 29, 2004
House Bill Fails to Implement 9-11 Commission Recommendations
Rep. Waxman urges a bipartisan effort to pass legislation that would fully implement the recommendations made by the 9-11 Commission, rather than the deeply flawed House bill, drafted by the Republican leadership, that fully implements just 11 of the 41 recommendations in the Commission's report.
- H.R. 10 Report Card
- Rep. Waxman's Statement

Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Reviewing 9-11 Commission’s Recommendations
At a Government Reform Committee hearing, Rep. Waxman expressed concerns about the fate of the 9-11 Commission’s recommendations.
- Rep. Waxman's Statement

Tuesday, June 22, 2004
State Department Releases Revised Terrorism Data
New data, released by the State Department to correct serious mistakes in the initial Patterns of Global Terrorism 2003 report, shows a major increase in deaths and injuries in terrorist attacks in 2003, with “significant” attacks reaching a 20-year high.
- Rep. Waxman's Statement

Monday, May 17, 2004
Data Manipulation Behind Reported Drop in Terrorism
Rep. Waxman criticizes the Patterns of Global Terrorism report for claiming that terrorism reached a record low in 2003 when the underlying data shows that significant terrorist activity was actually at a 20-year high.
- Letter to the State Department

Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Questions on Halliburton Ties to Countries that Sponsor Terrorism
Rep. Waxman asks Defense Secretary Rumsfeld about evidence that Halliburton has profited from business with three nations known for their support of terrorism: Iran, Iraq, and Libya.
- Letter to Secretary Rumsfeld

Wednesday, April 09, 2003
Members Ask for Ridge Hearing to be Public
In an letter to Committee Chairman Burton, Rep. Waxman and all seven subcommittee ranking minority members ask that the Committee hold a public hearing with Director of Homeland Security Ridge, instead of the closed members-only briefing now scheduled for April 11.
- Letter to Chairman Burton

Thursday, February 27, 2003
Suspected Terrorist Leader Meets with White House Staff
Rep. Waxman writes Secret Service Director Ralph Basham to ask why Sami Al-Arian, a suspected terrorist leader, was allowed to visit the White House complex while at the same time the subject of an FBI investigation. Al-Arian has since been indicted on 50 counts of conspiring to finance terrorist attacks and as serving as a leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.
- Letter to President Bush

Friday, November 15, 2002
Special-Interest Provisions Buried in Homeland Security Bill
A new minority staff fact sheet summarizes the numerous special-interest provisions buried in the homeland security bill (H.R. 5710) that limit the liability of drug companies, airline carriers, airline security companies, and other manufacturers. Rep. Waxman writes OMB Director Daniels to inquire about the provisions that would change the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program in a way that benefits manufacturers Eli Lilly and Dow Chemical, and to HHS Secretary Thompson to call his attention to the provisions that provide liability protection for makers of the smallpox vaccine, yet fail to provide appropriate compensation for those who may be injured by the vaccine.
- Fact Sheet
- Letter to HHS
- Letter to OMB

Wednesday, November 13, 2002
Rep. Waxman's Floor Statement on the Homeland Security Bill
Speaking on the House floor, Rep. Waxman said that while it is clear that federal departments are not working together as they should to protect our nation, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 has serious flaws and may well cause more problems than it solves.
- Rep. Waxman's Statement

Tuesday, September 17, 2002
Luggage Screening Machines Not Used to Full Capacity
In a letter to Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge and Transportation Secretary Mineta, Rep. Waxman and Rep. Oberstar express concern that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been, and continues to be, severely deficient in screening luggage for explosives at our nation’s airports. According to recent data, TSA is using less than 3% of existing explosive detection machines at maximum capacity levels.
- Letter to Governor Ridge and Secretary Mineta

Friday, August 02, 2002
Major Deficiencies in Homeland Security Bill
The Government Reform Committee minority staff released a summary of the major deficiencies in the legislation creating a new Department of Homeland Security, as well as other provisions affecting the jurisdiction of the Committee.
- Summary of H.R. 5005

Thursday, July 11, 2002
Government Reform Committee Markup of H.R. 5005
The Government Reform Committee held a meeting to consider H.R. 5005, the President's proposal for a new Department of Homeland Security. The Committee held a one-day markup in which approximately 50 amendments were offered and 35 were adopted. The reported bill is over 200 pages long, four times the length of H.R. 5005 as introduced.
-

Wednesday, July 10, 2002
CBO Estimate: Homeland Security Department Will Cost $3 Billion
In a letter to Majority Leader Armey and Democratic Whip Pelosi, Rep. Waxman released a Congressional Budget Office cost estimate that finds that the creation of a new Department of Homeland Security will cost about $3 billion over the next four years. The CBO estimate counters Administration claims that the creation of the new Department "would not 'grow' government."
- CBO Cost Estimate
- Letter to Majority Leader Armey and Democratic Whip Pelosi

Tuesday, July 09, 2002
Members Raise Questions on Homeland Security Department Proposal Details
Rep. Waxman and Rep. Obey, ranking member on the Appropriations Committee, wrote Director Of Homeland Security Ridge to address ten areas where questions have arisen over the details of the President's Department of Homeland Security proposal. These areas include the lack of a mechanism for coordinating a unified security strategy across the government and the many responsibilities given to the Department that have nothing to do with homeland security.
- Letter to Governor Ridge

Friday, June 28, 2002
Committee Members Ask Ridge for Comprehensive Homeland Security Strategy
The minority members of the Committee on Government Reform ask Director of Homeland Security Ridge for a comprehensive national homeland security strategy so that they may gauge whether the Administration's reorganization proposal best serves the nation's security goals.
- Letter to Governor Ridge

Thursday, June 20, 2002
Ridge Testifies Before the Committee
White House Office of Homeland Security Director Ridge testifies at a Committee hearing on "The Department of Homeland Security: An Overview of the President's Proposal."
- Rep. Waxman's Statement

Wednesday, May 22, 2002
GAO Report on Challenges in Postal Irradiation
Rep. Waxman writes Postmaster General Potter and details a new GAO Report that examines the technological premises and logistical hurdles to mail irradiation in the U.S. Postal System.
- GAO Report
- Letter to Postmaster General Potter

Thursday, February 07, 2002
Respiratory Protection of Postal Workers
Rep. Waxman has written to the Postmaster General about the importance of safety mask 'fit tests' in protecting the respiratory health of Postal workers. A fit test is a simple procedure that assesses whether a mask used for respiratory protection fits properly. On November 15, 2001, after the U.S. Postal Service purchased more than 4 million masks, Rep. Waxman asked the Postmaster General to follow CDC recommendations and provide fit tests to all interested postal workers. In January, 2001, however, the Postal Service responded that it would not provide these important safeguards to employees. On February 7, 2001, Rep. Waxman writes to urge the Postmaster General to reconsider this decision and immediately inform all postal workers of the importance of fit tests.
- Letter to the Postmaster General (Feb. 7)
- Letter to the Postmaster General (Nov. 15)

Monday, December 10, 2001
Items on OMB "Confidential" List Appear Relevant to Terrorism
The Office of Management and Budget has asked the Republican Subcommittee staff of the Government Reform Committee to compile a list that details regulations considered burdensome by lobbyists. On Dec. 10., Reps. Waxman and Tierney sent a letter to Governor Ridge on the regulations on this list that appear to be relevant to efforts to address terrorism.
- Letter to Governor Ridge

Monday, November 26, 2001
FDA Must Act Against Web Sites Selling Cipro, Other Antibiotics
Reps. Waxman and Dingell sent a letter to Secretary Thompson urging FDA to take action against web sites that sell Cipro and other antibiotics at inflated prices without valid prescriptions.
- Letter to HHS

Thursday, November 15, 2001
Improving Mail Safety
Rep. Waxman and other members have recently sent a series of letters to the Postmaster General and other officials on steps to improve mail safety.
- Letter to Committee on Rules Chairman and Ranking Member on the Obey amendment
- Letter to FBI Director, Postmaster General, and CDC Director on mail contamination
- Letter to GAO Comptroller General on assisting the Postal Service
- Letter to GAO Comptroller General on the need for a conference on postal operations
- Letter to Postmaster General and National Academy of Sciences President on working together
- Letter to Postmaster General on testing masks for proper fit

Thursday, November 15, 2001
The Biological Weapons Convention: Rethinking Our Priorities After September 11
Rep. Waxman held a Special Investigations Briefing to discuss the value of mandatory inspections under the Biological Weapons Convention, particularly in the context of the September 11 terrorist attacks and the recent anthrax attacks.
- Excerpts from Hearing Transcript
- Letter to the President
- Press Release
- Rep. Waxman's Statement
- Statement by Elisa Harris

Monday, November 05, 2001
Concern over Biological Weapons Convention
Rep. Waxman sent a letter to President Bush about the Administration's plans to reverse United States foreign policy and oppose negotiations to strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention.
- Letter to the President

Tuesday, October 30, 2001
Committee Investigates Mail Safety
The Committee held a hearing regarding the safety of U.S. postal employees and the mail.
- Rep. Waxman's Statement

Tuesday, October 16, 2001
Ambulance Diversions Are Warning Sign
Rep. Waxman released a report detailing the national problem of ambulance diversions and its implications for how well emergency rooms are prepared for possible terrorist attacks. By analyzing state and local articles published since January 2000, the report identified 22 states where hospital officials have declared they cannot safely accept emergency vehicles causing delays in patient care. These access problems have occurred under present conditions, demonstrating that additional attention to the emergency care system is needed to prepare fully for future challenges.
- Press Release
- The Report

Monday, October 15, 2001
Appointment of Director of Homeland Security
Reps. Burton, Waxman, Shays and Kucinich sent a letter to President Bush regarding the appointment of Governor Ridge to the new cabinet-level post of Director of Homeland Security.
- Letter to the President

Tuesday, October 02, 2001
Airline Industry Relief
Rep. Waxman released a statement regarding the airline industry relief legislation recently passed by Congress.
- Rep. Waxman's Statement

Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Vulnerability of Chemical Facilities to Terrorist Attack
Rep. Waxman sent a letter with Reps. Dingell, Sherrod Brown, and DeGette requesting that President Bush complete an overdue study that examines the vulnerability of the nation's chemical facilities to terrorist attack.
- Letter to the President