House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security Chairman John Carter (R-Texas) expressed concern over the Department of Homeland Security’s policies on defending the U.S. against weapons of mass destruction.
According to the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013, Homeland Security is required to provide a review of its weapons-of-mass-destruction defense efforts and provide recommendations to Congress by September 2013. The review was expected to include an evaluation of possible cost savings associated with consolidation of current organizations and missions.
“More than a year later, we have not yet seen this report, nor have we been formally briefed on its findings,” the congressmen said in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. “We take this issue very seriously and are concerned that the department is planning to take actions based on its review before fully consulting Congress.”
The letter requests a staff briefing on the findings and recommendations of the review by Nov. 30, 2014, and said, “The American people deserve a chance for Congress to conduct robust oversight to ensure that any changes to the department’s approach are executed responsibly.”
The letter notes that departments and agencies across the U.S. government have centralized weapons-of-mass-destruction defense programs, but that Homeland Security responsibilities continue to be spread across many offices in the department “with varying authorities and functions, affecting strategic direction as well as interdepartmental and interagency coordination.”