WP: Congress Resists Key Recommendation of 9/11 Panel

[kskiska]

Without Consolidation, Homeland Security Department Officials Report to 88 Panels on Capitol Hill

Congress has balked at consolidating committee jurisdictions when it comes to overseeing the $39 billion Department of Homeland Security and its constituent agencies, a key recommendation of the Sept. 11 commission.

The commission found that homeland security officials reported to 88 congressional committees and subcommittees last year. The commission report cited an expert witness who called that "perhaps the single largest obstacle impeding the department's successful development."

Instead, the commissioners recommended the House and Senate each have a single committee to review each year's budget and provide oversight for homeland security activities.

When Congress comes back next week, there will be fewer panels, but not by very much, largely because House and Senate committee and subcommittee chairmen have fought off most attempts to limit their jurisdictions.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39658-2004Dec31.html

[Pithy Cherub]

1. Our homeland Security in the hands of everybody and nobody.

Lack of accountability made 9/11 happen in the first place. Now we are back where we started with better dressed people with the ideas of yesteryear... Help us.

[Brundle_Fly]

2. sounds like bigger government

to me. More process, procedure, than before.

The 911 commission was a joke, and the recommendations are being treated the same way.

[Erika]

3. 9/11 was a fluke

a horrific one. But none the less a fluke. For the TSA to continue the wanding and pat downs for white grandmas and grandpas is utterly stupid as is their random selection. Utterly stupid. People need to start yelling that.

[MasonJar]

4. I have lost my respect for the 9/11 commission since their main

object seems to have been not to place blame. The commission pretended to be non-partisan, that is, not finding Clinton or Bush at fault. I do NOT but that since Clinton had a handle on the Osama problem and passed the news on to the Bushitas with great clarity and concern. Too many of those members, even the dems had way too many influences from the corp world. Why not let Kristen B on or Warren Rudman. I think we all know what a whitewash the report turned out to be.