The former members of the 9/11 commission issued a report card yesterday that gives the federal government shockingly low grades on protecting the nation from another terrorist attack. These disastrous marks, which apply to both Congress and the Homeland Security Department, came at a crucial moment. Right now, Congress may be about to make more terrible decisions in two important areas: the homeland security financing formula and chemical plant security.
There can be little doubt that New York is at the top of Al Qaeda's target list - unless, apparently, you are the Homeland Security Department and you are handing out port security money. In the most recent fiscal year, the department gave the port of New York and New Jersey just $6.6 million in port security grants, almost exactly what it gave to Memphis. Houston got $35.3 million, or more than five times as much.
On antiterrorism funds, experts uniformly agree that money should be allocated based on the risk of an attack and the risk of casualties.
But the Senate - led by Susan Collins of Maine, the Republican chairwoman of the homeland security committee, and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, the ranking Democrat - is fighting for a formula based not on risk, but on pork. Senator Collins's home state, and other rural states that face little threat, would get a piņata of new programs and equipment under the Senate formula. New York and California would get less money for vitally important programs.
The House has passed a formula pushed by two New York representatives - John Sweeney, a Republican, and Nita Lowey, a Democrat - that would put much more emphasis on risk-based allocation. The Senate and House will have to work out their differences, but so far the Senate is still holding out for its pork-based formula.
In its report card, the former 9/11 commission, now known as the 9/11 Public Discourse Project, gave the current financing formula an F, but said the grade would change to an A if the House provision was passed.
When it comes to failing performances, it's hard to match Congress's thoroughly irresponsible actions on securing chemical plants, where any terrorist attack could cause enormous casualties. To the delight of the chemical industry, a generous contributor to political campaigns, Congress has refused since Sept. 11 to impose reasonable safety standards. Now there is a real danger that Congress will do worse than nothing: it may pass a bill that actually weakens protections.
Congress is considering legislation that would invalidate state laws on chemical plant security. This comes just days after New Jersey, a major chemical manufacturing state, adopted mandatory plant security rules - and shortly after Jon Corzine, a leading supporter of chemical plant safety measures, was elected governor.
It's hard to imagine that Washington will go to war against the states attempting to protect their residents from a potential toxic disaster. If that federal bill is passed, it will be strong evidence that Congress cares more about the chemical plant industry and its political clout than about ordinary Americans at risk in a terrorist attack.