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http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N14733158.htmDemocrats say US security revamp won't stop attack
14 Jul 2005 20:20:47 GMT
Source: Reuters
WASHINGTON, July 14 (Reuters) - Long-awaited reforms at the Department of Homeland Security are not enough to stop attacks like those in London last week, Democratic lawmakers said on Thursday, saying a focus on aviation had left mass transportation at risk.
They said security measures for trains, subways and buses such as passenger or luggage screening remained inadequate because the Transportation Security Administration spends 90 percent of its budget on aviation -- trying to fix loopholes that let 19 men hijack four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001.
"The London bombing last week, coupled with the Madrid bombing last year, should be a wake-up call to us all that our trains and transit system are an attractive target for terrorists," said Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee.
"I've asked myself the question, 'Will the department's proposed reorganization prevent what happened in London from happening here?' Unfortunately, I concluded, no," he said.
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