“Unintelligence” Bill Does Nothing for National Security (Rep. Tom Feeney)

Last week, House Democrats passed two bills that illustrate how blasé they are on matters of national security.

Bipartisan national security protections were stripped from the Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act and funds were gutted for intelligence resources in the 2008 “Unintelligence Bill.”

Let’s take a look at what Democrats eliminated last week in a post 9/11 environment — the same week that six men who planned to slaughter American soldiers were arrested in Fort Dix, N.J. Among other things, they slashed funding for:

§ Immigration checks at high risk sites like airports.
§ Protection of America’s food supply
§ A mobile biometric identification system for illegal aliens captured at sea.

Finally, to add insult to injury, the Democrats, who pledged to implement all of the 9/11 Commission recommendations, struck language implementing one of the Commission’s critical recommendations for Congress to create “a single, principle point of oversight and review for homeland security.”

Our country’s safety depends on its ability to gather intelligence, and last week’s legislation irresponsibly turns a blind eye to the fact that we now live in a different and dangerous world. In order to protect America’s interests and security, our intelligence agencies must receive the tools they need without politically charged red tape.