The president and ceo of the national 9 11 memorial and museum. On behalf of of everyone associated with the memorial and museum, i want to express a warm our sincere gratitude for your steadfast commitment to the security of our nation. We are honored to have secretary chertoff, napolitano, and johnson here with us. The decision to hold this public field hearing here, within a space find by the remaining foundational structure of the World Trade Center at what was the epicenter of ground zero 18 years ago this week makes todays program especially meaningful. Theow many of you toured museum last night, some for the first time. The events we chronicle here, the lives we remember, and the aspirations we embrace for a world free of this scourge of inextricably linked to the topics he will discuss today. Here at the 9 11 memorial and museum, we testified to the largest inextricably linked lossoflife from a foreign attack on american soil and the single greatest loss of rescue personnel in a single event in american history. Experiences reflect of profound shock, unprecedented vulnerability, and overwhelming grief caused by the attacks. Yet visitors take away more than a cautionary tale to remain vigilant to continued threats, by sharing the manifold expressions of courage, compassion, and service in response to 9 11 this museum also affirms the best of who we can be as human beings. From its inception, the 9 11 9 11 in Museum Memorial and museum vowed to honor those who killed. This year, as every year, the museum will hold a solemn ceremony. But in recent years, our understanding of what it means to remember has had to evolve with the tragic recognition that, for far too many, 9 11 is not past history at all. Survivors,ponders, relief workers, and Community Members exposed to hazards and toxins in the aftermath of the attack, 9 11 is an all too present reality. The recovery effort lasted nine months, concluding may 30, 2002, with a ceremonial removal of the last column, now standing behind you in foundation hall. During that time, as well as on the day of the attacks, hundreds of thousands, an estimated 400,000, responders, survivors, workers, and residents, where exposed to hazardous and toxic dust following the collapse of the twin towers. In the 18 years since, thousands have died, and tens of thousands more suffered from injuries and illnesses sustained at all three attack sites, including the pentagon and the crash site near shanksville, pennsylvania. The scale of the 9 11 Health Crisis is almost inconceivable. Over 97,000 People Living in all 435tates and in 434 of Congressional Districts are currently enrolled in the cdcs World Trade Center health program. This situation except for faiz what we call the longitudinal simplifies what we call the longitudinal impact of the human toll. In two years, we will mark the 20th anniversary of the 9 11 attacks. That twoelievable decades will have passed. Our members of that day is so vivid. But there is a new generation, growing up in a world defined in a pivotal event they did not experience personally. Some were in college. Some are starting their careers. If, as someone recently remarked, the 21st century started here, we must ensure the next generation, and generations to come, understand the significance and legacies of 9 11, so they have the tools and perspective to negotiate the challenges ahead. National security, the topic of todays hearing, is among the greatest of those challenges. It is a core programmatic focus of this memorial and museum, and as evidenced by this mornings hearing, the museum as that has emerged as a vital convening space to talk about issues of crisis leadership and public service. We provide specially tailored Training Programs for professionals in Law Enforcement, intelligence, and the military. Eventslarly offer public. Museum also hosts an annual summit on security, bringing together leading voices on Security Matters from across the public and private sectors. Our next summit takes place november 12 and 13. Keynotes. F with offer ans summit will opportunity for attendees to preview our next special exhibition, documenting the more than 10 year hunt for osama bin laden. If you are interested in attending the summit, please let me know. Standing here, sitting here in foundation hall, at the heart of ground zero, we already witnessed not only to the remnants of what was destroyed back to the promise of a better future. This is now the foundation at ground zero, a place to build up from and create a safer world for our children and grandchildren. Todayyou for being here and for your dedication and service to this singularly nickel goal critical goal. Thank you. Secretaries, please be seated. This hearing of the Senate Committee of Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will come to order. I would like to start with a brief moment of silence to honor the memory of all those who lost their lives on that terrible day and the First Responders who continue to lose their lives to diseases they contracted during untold acts of heroism. Thank you. I would first like to thank Alice Greenwald and everyone involved in the creation of this special place. I would like to thank the 9 11 memorial and museum for hosting this field hearing on Hallowed Ground and for providing a sobering and moving and educational tour for Committee Members and staff last night and i would like to thank everyone for attending what i hope will be a thoughtful and informed event. In particular, i would like to think three of the former secretaries of the department of Homeland Security, secretary chertoff, napolitano, and johnson. We truly appreciate it. The title of this hearing, 18 years later the state of Homeland Security after 9 11 looks at what actions were taken, what has and what has not been effective, and maybe most important, what has changed. In 2011, the 10th anniversary report card focused on the extent to which the 9 11 commissions 41 recommendations had been implemented. The report concluded with the reminder that we have done much but there is much more to do. Much work remains because we are living in a world of rapid and dramatic change. It is essential to acknowledge that the world evolves, enemies adapt, new threats and problems emerge. Existed in, if isis 2011, it certainly was not on most peoples radar. We were worried about largescale, planned attacks by al qaeda, not a terror group using video and social media to inspire lone wolf terrorists. I doubt the creators of the internet and social media platforms ever contemplated how their innovations could be used for such evil. Bork showedobert how the internet social media has sped up the process described as as a result, we have experienced the depressing proliferation of violent homegrown extremists, mass shootings, and domestic terror attacks. Another dramatic shift was illegal immigration in 2011, unaccompanied children months into this fiscal year, more than 69,000 unaccompanied children from Central America and 432,000 family members have been apprehended with most claiming asylum and being allowed to stay. I use these examples to highlight problems we face and our inability to effectively address them. Unfortunately, there are not as Many Solutions as effective as hardening the cockpit doors. As chair of this committee, i have attempted to guide us through this process, gathering information, properly defining problems, identifying root problems, establishing achievable goals. Then, only after completing that work, begin to design workable solutions. Too often in the political realm, solutions are directed towards unachievable goals and do not reflect reality. The 10th anniversary report card showed significant implementation of the 41 recommendations, but those were solutions in response to 9 11. Then15, this committees Ranking Member issued a report reviewing the department of Homeland Security. He detailed 541 million spent by dhs from 2003 to 2014 and criticized the department for not successfully executing any of its five main missions. Me mention what those missions are event terrorism, enhance security, secure and manage our orders, and worse and administer immigration laws, safeguard and secure cyberspace, strengthened National Preparedness and resilience. And in that report, harsh as it was, it is not a refection on the current secretary or past secretaries. He calls it a unity of effort initiative. It is still a harsh assessment. It is necessary to ask hard questions. For example, is dhs too big . Does it have too Many Missions . Can we expect one department to be your sponsor will for natural cybersecurity, enforcing immigration laws, security securing our borders, protecting government officials . Not only does the list on, but in addition to Operational Response abilities, dhs also reports 292 congressional committees and subcommittees, plus another 27 caucuses, commissions, and groups. Our nation problems faces will not be solved with rhetoric. He requires individuals working together in good faith, as numbers of this committee have done so often in the past. That is why i am grateful a Bipartisan Group of senators has the opportunity to be here to learn from a Bipartisan Group of former secretaries. I hope that we can fairly evaluate past successes and failures and use these assessments to guide future actions and policies designed to secure our homeland. I think secretaries and look forward to their testimony. Sen. Peters thank, chairman johnson, for convening this important hearing. Thank to Alice Greenwald and the entire 9 11 memorial and museum staff for hosting us here today. Formerso careful to our Homeland Security secretaries for sharing your thoughts and expertise. Quiet andwed space is peaceful today. We are surrounded by the remnants of the towers that were destroyed and the treasured lives taken 18 years ago here and at the pentagon and inching slow, pennsylvania. Our colleagues and i had the opportunity to tour the museum and a more real yesterday and experience this extraordinary tribute to the lives lost in the attack ontating american soil, the attributes to the loved ones lost and the First Responders who ran into save the lives of others. Behind us is the last column, the final piece of steel removed from ground zero after the nine month recovery effort ended. Today, it stands as a monument honoring the 441 First Responders, police, firefighters , and rescue workers who gave their lives in the line of duty. This week, we remember and honor the lives lost on september 11, 2001. We must also reflect on the lessons we have learned in the years since as we work to prevent a tragedy like this from ever happening again. In the days following 9 11, our nation felt for the first time that we were vulnerable to the dangers of a very volatile world. No one knew what the future would hold, only that we would arise from the rubble united and resolve to be stronger than ever. It was out of that uncertainty and determination to protect this nation from future attacks that the department of Homeland Security was founded. Whichw department, rapidly grew to be one of our largest auto agencies, was comprised of 200 large and diverse agencies, many of which had operated as independent factors. These organizations, each with their unique cultures and histories, coalesced around a single and focused mission under one banner. The department of Homeland Security was created with one primary mission in mind combating the scourge of terrorism and ensuring we could say with confidence never again. But in the years that have since passed and as the world has changed, so has the challenges facing this great nation and this vital department. Faces evolving threats, more complex than we could have imagined a few years ago. With each passing day, our world becomes more interconnected, cementing the important world role cybersecurity plays. A rise in violence driven by racism, religious this commission, and other hateful ideologies have altered our perception of mastech terrorism and the threats they pose. In one of the greatest threats to our National Security does not fly a flag, yet Climate Change poses an existential threat not only to the United States but our entire planets. The department of Homeland Security is our first line of defense against these and other challenges. As they threats to our homeland change, so must the efforts to protect our National Security. With nearly two decades of lessons learned, the time has come for a clear eyed assessment of what has worked and what needs to be improved. As we reflect on what the department has accomplished to date, we must consider whether the size and capacity of dhs can keep pace with the constantly evolving threats. In order to build a more Sustainable Department and defend ourselves from global threats, we must look to the future. It is not enough to understand the effect of the moment, we must also make sure dhs is prepared to anticipate those threats arising in the future. This is a difficult conversation but one we must have to ensure we never again face a catastrophic event like september 11. Sen. Johnson thank you, senator peters. It is our tradition to swear in witnesses, so if you could all stand and raise your right hand. Do you swear the testimony you get the or this committee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you god . Please be seated. Our first secretary is former secretary michael chertoff, the founder and executive chairman of the chertoff group. Was a second secretary of the department of Homeland Security, serving under president george w. Bush. Earlier in his career, he was a federal judge on the Third Circuit court of appeals and was head of the u. S. Department of criminal justice. Secretary chertoff. Mr. Chertoff thank you, mr. Chairman and thank you members of the committee. I deeply appreciate and am honored by the opportunity to appear before the committee and particularly in this setting, which is so meaningful. I know in the audience we have a number of Senior Security officials from the state of union state of new york, the Fire Department of new york, and the port authority, which of course is the organization that houses this facility. I also would like to request myt the written part of testimony be made part within minutes after the second plane hit the tower in the World Trade Center, i was at the Operations Center at the fbi with then fbi director bob , trying toob mueller make sure we can prevent it from happening again. Ive vivid memories of the plane that went down in shanksville, also having heard orders to shoot the plane down, if necessary. Within a matter of days after seventh of september 11, i was here with the attorney general and the fbi director, touring the rubble. You could still experience the smell and visual sites sights of the destruction, which was almost unimaginable. Tos was an opportunity experience the seminal event of our lifetimes. Thes appropriate to use impending anniversary as a way to honor those who died and those who volunteered to run into harms way to try to prevent protect victims of the attack. And in the years and weeks afterward, those who left the comfort of their homes to volunteered to join the armed forces to continue to protect us against an enemy that was based overseas. I am also mindful of what the fact that we are coming up on 20 years, generation of time. I think about the fact that there are now young folks in college for whom this is a history lesson, not a vivid memory. Arises,tion naturally when the next generation comes on scene, what will they be facing and what will they remember . And will they, god forbid, have a similar event to reflect upon . That is the value and importance of this hearing. What is the next generation going to face and how do we adapt ourselves to what that may be . So i have three brief observations. Event i regard the 9 11 and some of the events thereafter as what i call terrorism 1. 0. That is bin ladens vision of highimpact events with large mass casualties and dramatic visual seizure of destruction of disruptioniege and death. Death. Ruction and the United States government has been good at preventing another attack of that size. Close een it is important our success not lead us to complacency. Because the enemies of this country still look to the possibility of a mass attack, whether it is explosions, chemical attacks, or biological attacks. As we saw in the months after 9 11, if you give terrorist organizations a safe haven, they will begin to experiment with chemical weapons, and other weapons of catastrophe. It is important we deny them their safe havens. In connection with that, as we discussions with respect to the future of afghanistan, lets make sure we do not sacrifice our ability to strangle any plots to recreate the labs and Training Centers before they get started again. I would also say we have seen a morphing of terrorism to what i call 2. 0 and 3. 0, 2. 0 being small attacks like we saw in mumbai or in the pot the climb club inataclan night france which are coordinated but do not have the scale of 9 11. Perhaps more alarmingly is 3. 0 inspired attacks. Where people are incited over the internet to pick up khakis, pick up make bombs to keys, guns, or make bombs kill people randomly. We have not only jihadi terrorists, which are still networked internationally with each other, but we are seeing other ideological terrorists arising, what we sometimes call domestic terrorism, whether it is White Supremacists or other ideological groups. Even those are not purely domestic. They are reaching across borders using the internet to incite each other, to post about the number to boast about the number of people they killed. We need to start to think about strategies to deal with this kind of terrorism, which involves much more involvement of local authorities and surface services. But also off ramps ways you may intervene with people who are beginning to get into that mindset and divert them before they wind up having to be in the criminal Justice System or, worse, wind up carrying out an attack. The third area we need to continue to work upon is cyber warfare. We see Ransomware Attacks on our cities that are shutting down services. In other parts of the world, we are seeing attacks on critical charter that have shut the lights off. We need to raise our game with respect to this, and it has to be a publicprivate partnership. Along these lines, we are seeing the recurrence of what used to be called active measures, the use of foreign adversaries, like russia, of social media and other tools to attempt to influence and disrupt our democracy and social unity. Finally, before i conclude, i would like to say briefly that i succeededhas largely in the missions set out for itself, as affected in the fact that we have not had another 9 11. But the Organization Must continue to adapt these challenges and threats. I think most of the recommendations of the 9 11 commission were adopted, but i have to say that Congress Still needs to streamline oversight, which is the one major suggestion that has not really been implemented. Thank you, and i look forward to answering questions. Sen. Johnson thank you. Our nest next secretary is former secretary janet napolitano, the president of the university of california. She served as secretary of the department of home and security 2009 to 2013. 3 she was attorney general of arizona from 1998 to 2003. Thank you. Ano want to thank you for conducting this important field hearing and for inviting me to participate. I am grateful for the work you do on behalf of the American People, and i am honored to be with you this morning here at the national 9 11 memorial and museum. Attacks,after the september 11 remains a somber day in which we mourn an reflect on the nearly 3000 lives lost in the attack on our nation. Ofwe honor the memories those whose lives were taken that fateful morning, so, too, we express our gratitude to the First Responders, Law Enforcement, and volunteers, who pulled people from the wreckage of the pentagon, the World Trade Center, and who themselves later succumbed or died to injuries as a result of the recovery efforts. I would also like to thank the work of the members of the department of Homeland Security for the work they do day in and day out. They are true patriots. Finally, i would like to acknowledge former secretaries chertoff and johnson, who are here today and who so ably led the department during their respective tenures. From the beginning of my tenure at dhs, we focused our mission on terrorism, Aviation Security, cybersecurity, and Border Management and security as well as the security of the Global Supply chain, the trafficking of goods and humans, and the resilience of the nation to natural disasters. To meet these challenges, we relied on intelligence to develop and implement effective programs and operations while working to make travel, trade, and commerce more seamless for the public. Andreated tsa precheck significantly expanded global entry, Customs Trade Partnership against terrorism, and customs pulley preclearance. But as we all know, and as the former speakers have alluded, threats against our homeland are not static. They evolve. Adaptthe Department Must with them. Today, i would like to speak with you about three areas i believe the country must focus cybersecurity, mass casualty shootings, and the effects of Global Warming on Climate Change. I will address one issue i believe is not a threat to the homeland the United States border with mexico. With the cybersecurity and infrastructure agency, dhs has stepped up to its cyber capabilities. Do in have much more to this area. Our nations critical infrastructure, utility grades, election systems, and our public and private networks are all vulnerable. Our adversaries and International Criminal organizations have become more determined and brazen in their attempts to attack us and steal from us. Whole of government and public and private sector response to this threat, and it needs to happen now. Innovate,outthink out and at research those who seek to do us harm by, among other things, investing in our Nations Research enterprise and leveraging such things as the gyms capabilities and intellectual resources at the department of Energy National laboratories. The less technical threat of mass casualty shootings is no less consequential to those posed in the cyber arena. Many in our country have sadly grown all too accustomed to stories of yet another mass shooting. Of intelligence and analysis was created to evaluate the nexus between threat and vulnerability. It needs to be aggressive in doing so with respect to gun violence and mass casualty shootings. I believe in the second amendment. But it did not contemplate citizens with combat ready assault rifles. I believe people should be able recreation,ns for hunting, and protection, but if you cannot hit your target with 10 shots, you should not be shooting a gun. It is time for congress to ban highcapacity magazines and assault weapons, and it is time to enact universal background checks. It is also time for congress and dhs to recognize Climate Change is a generational threat to the homeland that must be addressed in a meaningful way. In extremein sick weather events on land and offshore clearly impact the missions of fema and the u. S. Coast guard from rescue and reconnaissance to disaster preparation, response, and recovery, our changing climate requires dhs to approach this missions differently. Climate evolution also implicates our border and immigration system, thereby directly affecting extreme weather is destroying crop fields in central and south america, devastating economies. Lost wages,bs and the Movement Towards radicalization widens, outdoes as does the draw of northward aggravation. The downstream effects of Climate Change are among them. If we, as a nation, failed to address Climate Change in a holistic and global way, as a threat to the homeland, we will ignore one of the nations, and the worlds, greatest security risks. Finally, i would like to address a topic that i do not believe is a threat to the homeland the u. S. Border with mexico. Ive worked on issues related to nearly 30 years, as a prosecutor, governor, and secretary of dhs. Ive walked it, ridden it on horseback, explored its tunnels, visited almost every land port of entry. There have been times, during my three decades of public service, when i did argue that the border was a threat. But now is not such a time pure the border is a zone where millions of dollars of lawful commerce, trade, and travel traverse each day. Citizenses jobs for living along it and throughout the United States. On its own, it is an economic engine. Proper Border Management requires a blend of physical infrastructure, manpower, and technology. What we do not need and what does not make sense is awol from one end of the border to the other. As governor of arizona, i once proclaimed show me a 10 foot wall and i will show you an 11 foot ladder. That is more than a decade ago, and it is still true today. The debate about a costly and needless border wall should come to an end. It distracts from the Overall Mission of dhs. It is a red herring. I urge this committee to consider putting an end to discussions on a border wall and to return your worthy attention to more immediate calendars of securing our homeland. I am grateful for the opportunity to appear before you today. And like secretary chertoff and secretary johnson, i look forward to your questions. Sen. Johnson thank you, secretary napolitano. I would ask you to turn off your microphone only three of these may be in use at a time. Is formerecretary secretary johnson. Mr. Johnson served as secretary of the department of Homeland Security served under president barack obama. Was secretary he of the department of defense and was an assistant United States attorney from 1989 to 1991. Johnson,on chairman Ranking Member peters, members of this committee, good morning. Welcome to new york city, my hometown. Predecessors, my i welcome the opportunity to testify at this field hearing in lower manhattan. In conjunction with the 18th anniversary of the 9 11 terrorist attacks. Senators johnson and harper will recall that, on the 14th anniversary of 9 11, they accompanied me to the annual observance in shanksville, pennsylvania. Like millions of others, 9 11 is painful and significant to me. I am a new yorker. I was in new york city on 9 11. I personally witnessed the collapse of the two towers. 9 11 also happens to be my birthday. Out of that day 18 years ago came my personal commitment to National Security. In the years that followed, i served as general counsel to the department of defense and as your secretary of Homeland Security for three years. Three years ago, on the 15th anniversary of 9 11, i presided at the ceremony to welcome the federal Government Back to one World Trade Center. My dhs office in new york city sat on the 50th for of that building. As a point of personal privilege, i would like to acknowledge someone here who is probably one of the five best friends i have in the world, the retired new York City Police detective ive known him 30 years. We worked drug cases together when i was a prosecutor and he was a cop. He was one of those who ran into harms way 18 years ago 13 years ago 18 years ago and was byrded the medal of valor the mayor of new york. Any assessment of todays Homeland Security must include an assessment of todays department of Homeland Security. I confess that i view todays dhs with despair and dismay. The department appears to be under constant siege and constant crisis, suffering from management up people and leadership vacancies and crippled attack and constantly sued for the abrupt launch of illconceived and controversial immigration policies. More so than ever before, dhs is now the lanais and politically radioactive. There are public calls for a boycott of private businesses whileontract with dhs certain elected officials call for the outright elimination of certain components of dhs, if not dhs in its entirety. In the current environment, it is easy to forget dhs is responsible for the Vital Missions of protecting the American People and their homeland from the land, sea, air, and from cyberspace. Coast guard performs vital airtime safety, National Security, and counter drug functions. The secret functions. The secret service protects the president and others. Tsa provides Aviation Security to over 2 Million People per day. Disasterhe nations response agency. The end kick is the u. S. Governments primary Information Exchange hub for the nations cyber security. These are matters in which politics should play little, if any, role, and around which there should be bipartisan consensus and support. Department, and its leadership, peer to be overwhelmed by the politically contentious and emotional immigration mission and the crises that have existed on the thehern border to exclusion, i fear, of all the other important Homeland Security missions. Cabinet levels department, charged with attacking the macon homeland, and its people, it should not have to be this way. I know every member of this committee agrees with that. Mr. Chairman, i am very appreciative that you and the members of this committee have held this hearing here in this hallowed place, in this bipartisan spirit. Secretaryon thanks, johnson. Secretaryi would refer johnson. Normally, i would refer my question, but in my opening statement, i asked a generic question with what i consider a lively discussion last night, so i will throw it open to all three secretaries. You have alluded to it as well. When you have a crisis, whether it is three hurricanes and wildfires, when you have, as i described, primarily children but also family members reaching thousands in a year, and you all served as secretaries how can you handle it when you are overwhelmed in one area and have this department that has so many different other missions . We will start with secretary chertoff and go down the line. Is dhs too big . Does it have to Many Missions . Should we reevaluate how it is structured . Mr. Chertoff i appreciate the question. Of me begin by saying, first all, fortunately the secretary does not have to do everything himself or herself. One of the strengths of the department has been the professionalism of the korea people who work in all of the agencies. That was something which i was was to rely able to rely upon during a very tumultuous fouryear period. I would say you can tweak elements of the department, but particularly as it has been matured by my successors here and subsequently the ability to have a unity of effort, where you bring the resources and skills relating to prevention of terrorism, to reducing i think that is much more of a positive then a negative than a negative. There were debates over whether to treat cyber as a separate agency. In my experience in government and the private sector, often the attacks we view as Cyber Attacks come along with a physical attack. The ability to protect your infrastructure requires you have a holistic view, what we call convergence, rather than a fragmented view. I would argue that the key is to continue to build and mature the unity of effort and to maintain havetion, which i think we had, through a number of administrations, of having a nonpolitical, professional operator carrying out the Important Mission of protecting the country and building resilience. Sen. Johnson secretary napolitano. Ms. Napolitano i agree. That when the department of defense was created in the wake of world war that it analysts say took over 40 years for the department of defense to really become integrated. The department is much younger than that. It has many more missions. But it is maturing, it is coming together, and the efforts spent tweaking, moving one box here, one box there, would not be worth the effort. I would suggest, respectfully, that one area that could really help the department would be to streamline congressional oversight. I know that is delicate and requires committees to give up jurisdiction, but the committee on Homeland Security has a tradition of being an operating in a fairly bipartisan way and being a very good overseer of the department, and it needs to push some of those other committees out of the way. Youre preaching to the choir. This committee actually passed the bill to begin that process to establish the commission. I am sympathetic with that. Your voice is going to be important. Secretary johnson. Is inohnson my answer one sentence it is too large, and in one sense it is not large enough. Dhs came from the council of the department of defense which is larger than dhs by multiples. Force,artment of the air or the department of the navy in and of themselves is larger than dhs. It is the Third Largest cabinet level department. It is too big in the following sense, its missions are very diffuse, decentralized. The cultures across dhs are vastly different. The culture of fema versus the secret Service Versus the coast guard. The commandandcontrol structure of dhs lacks maturity of deity. Lacks the maturity of the dod. One christmas i sent out an email to everyone in dhs who was of direct reports to me. And i kept going thinking of who reports directly to me. I knew night had to stop. There were so many people i felt i had to write to. By contrast, look at the department of defense. A Senate Confirmed undersecretary who has the oversight function over all of dods intelligence missions. Except for the component leaders, and there are seven or eight of them, there is no middle Level Management between those people and the secretary. Congress pleased that just before or after i left office, codified the joint task force structure i created so that we would have more of a dod type model when it comes to border security. Is, in onehing respect, i think we need to go further. I would like to see our government and this is probably politically unobtainable consolidate more of the federal Law Enforcement missions under one cabinet level person. If i could wave a wand, i would take every federal Law Enforcement agency and put it under one cabinet level official. Not necessarily the attorney general. Entity conflict all of their missions. Much like they do in ministries of the interior in other nations. Is probably politically impossible to do that. And that sense i do not think we have gone far enough consolidating our Law Enforcement missions. I know there is this discussion of possibly moving the secret service back to the treasury department. I would not do that. The secret service is essentially a Law Enforcement agency. When you are talking about large Security Operations like the general assembly, it makes sense to half the secret service as part of one cabinet level department. Guard, onethe coast pair of eyes and ears looking at all the threats at all the different ways some can enter the country. I appreciate those responses. I think it is important testimony. It can and should carry an awful lot away. Senator peters. While the department was established in 2002 in response plantattacked attack by a foreign terrorist organization. Since then, we know that the country and the Threat Landscape has evolved dramatically. In recent years, domestic terrorists have killed more people in our country then international terrorists. Most of the fbis domestic terrorism investigations involve white supremacist violence. Secretary napolitano, during your tenure, you were there probably at a turning point when we saw the Threat Landscape change in the current wave of White Supremacy violence. I would be curious as to your assessment as to how you address that, what more you think we need to do whether there are impediments. I would like to hear from the other secretaries as well in terms of how we deal with this significant threat. Thenapolitano one of manifestations of this threat is the radicalization of loan actors through the internet. Through social media. We do not have a good understanding about what causes somebody to read something online, et cetera, all the way up to going out and purchasing a combat ready and taking it out on their fellow citizens. More, we need to do much in the sense of understanding the motivations behind these violent actors. To involve more local Law Enforcement and social Service Providers in trying to provide a secretary as secretary chertoff said, off ramps for these individuals. We need to prioritize these domestic terrorist events in the sense of the threats facing the country. Secretary chertoff. I accrued that. I think first of all we need to thegnize that in many ways, inspired jihadi terrorists that we saw, that we have seen in various things in california, are very similar to the white supremacist terrorists who were inspired to carry it shootings and synagogues. There seems to be a capability of networks of people who are ideological to find likeminded dating are begin who are beginning to move in that direction. As sector napolitano said we need to understand that. We also need to recognize this is a global challenge, it is not just a domestic challenge. When you look at some of the shootings we have seen recently, we have seen references to bra supremacy. Ian white where they look for endorsement along that line for the network around the world. This to me is not just an American Issue but it is an issue we have to deal with involving our partners overseas. My first second and third answers are gun safety, gun safety, gun safety. That, continued good Law Enforcement. Initiatives to counter violent. Xtremism rants from the National Level twos grants from the National Level to state and local levels including active Shooter Training exercises which i think are very important. Awareness, if you see something Say Something campaigns. Dhs has partnered with a number of cities, professional sports teams, public vigilance does make a difference. You mentioned gun safety. There are number of actions we could take him up at one that may be before the congress this week is to expand background checks. Would you support that . Mr. Johnson i support anything consistent with the second amendment. Hat has bipartisan support that makes it more difficult for a deranged violent person to get his hands on a gun. Specifically is an assault weapon. Ms. Napolitano i think universal background checks is a good step towards greater security for the country. But emma it is a first step. Agree. Rtoff i we ought to have universal background checks. In a similar vein, red flag warning swear when someone winds up behaving in a way that is suggestive they may be a menace, that we remove their access to firearms. There are other things we can do , as mr. Pollack on a set, i do not know why we need to be selling secretary johnson and i sent a letter to dhs with our regardingecurity allegations that this administration has quietly dismantled or cut back on multiple programs created after september 11. Specifically programs operated by the departments weapons of. I would like to get a briefing of your assessment of our nations ability to prevent a chemical or biological or nuclear attack. Mr. Johnson i have not been privy to intelligence or nonpublic information for the last two and a half years on this. Threate is that it is a that we have, and should continue to monitor. Among a range of threats. It is obviously not the only threat. I jumped on a daily press i dote on a daily basis on information connected to terrorist attacks. This type of threat is something we need to keep vigilant about. Ms. Napolitano i agree. We need to maintain vigilance. We need to understand that active intelligence sharing. Realtime intelligence sharing with our allies around the world increases our security in this area. To the extent we are dealing with weapons that are manufactured abroad, that are attempted to be smuggled into the United States. The intelligence sharing internationally, globally should not be overlooked as an effective tactic or technique to help secure the country. I agree with both secretaries. As i said, when i was secretary we did learn quite a bit about chemical attacks. Wasof the reasons we did because in afghanistan when we entered, we found a lab swear al with was experimenting developing these weapons. The good news is by reducing the foot print of ices, we have reduced the territory in which they can carry out that work. I think complacency is a real risk. About our future arrangements in afghanistan, i would not want to see that become a safe haven again where we could see experiment eight. Experimentation. I also has bullock, which in my mind remains the most proficient terrorist organization in the world which has access to a regime that has moved in the direction of wds. Again, we need to be very careful in sharing information h our allies to make sure thank you to those who have helped organize this event in a place we can remember and mourn who steppedose heroically into save others. We can mourn the many not just those killed on 9 11 but after those who years have been devastated by their heroism. I appreciate the testimony of each of the secretaries and your willingness to be with us today. Yuri knowledged in our discussion last night that in some respects we play the role. F a policy loop as a committee we have the opportunity to help guide the leadership at the department of Homeland Security. Threats hascyber been mentioned by each one of you as being a major area of concern. I would like to dwell for a moment on that. Secretary napolitano, you indicated that perhaps more laboratories would be more helpful. You also that you also referenced Public Private partnership. There is no doubt the to protect various entities from cyberattack. Secretary johnson, you indicated in your written testimony that deterring actors from attacking us, cyber actors, is something we should pursue. Perhaps we will begin with you then secretary johnson and have each of you respond to what we might do to up our capabilities in deterring Cyber Attacks. Can we deter those entities that attack us . Iran, russia, north korea,. They continue to launch thousands of attacks on technical databases, government databases, corporations and so forth. Could do ame way we better job of deterring that . Up our game in cyber . Mr. Chertoff etiquette is a i think it is a basic equation. All organized nationstates whether they are democracies or communist regimes, are deterred if the behavior is made cost prohibitive. Recognizesonstate that it is not worth the cost in terms of the reaction from the target. Between and among governments there is a certain amount of surveillance activity that goes on. Im sure you recognize the new property,he theft of weaponizing think for political purses purposes. I believe that you cannot create a complete line of defense against these kinds of attacks, therefore we have to put it to the bad actor and simply make the behavior cost prohibitive. Of goodthat a lot things have been done in this administration in terms of sanctions directed at the russian government. And by the congress. If you believe the intelligence assessments, a lot more is necessary both directed at russia and the other countries you mention. In terms of what more we can do on the defensive side, on my watch we really enhanced the isability of the which within dhs. It is the information hub for cyber security. I was disappointed that not more private sector actors had partnered with dhs for information sharing purposes. I recommend to congress that you check in on that occasionally. Can do to encourage that type of information sh aring. I believe that m cake is a good tool. Cyber is an inordinately complicated topic. It is international in scope. He Technology Changes faster agility andan nobleness that is not common in government. That is why it is important to bring the private sector in two how we deal with cybersecurity as a country. Government e of a whole nation approach this area. We need to recognize that it is among the top three risks we face as a nation. When you read the 9 11 commission report, one of the key critiques it makes is that they were reverse engineering how the 9 11 attack occurred. The report points out all these red flags that had arisen. They said that a key critique is that the government leaders suffered from a failure of imagination. In a cyber arena, we have all these red flags now. Should not entertain such a failure of imagination. Perhaps it is time for the country to have a 9 11 commission for cyber before we have, for example, massive Ransomware Attacks simultaneously conducted around the country. We suffer once again a direct attack on our democracy as we saw in the 2016 election. Mr. Chertoff the challenge here is that much of the infrastructure is in private hands. Even when it it is in government hands, it is often distributed and local governments. Often the basics do not get done. Youre trying to herd cats in a particular direction. I would say there are three things i might pay some additional attention to. One is i do think that the department has made a good step forward in standing up cease up what used to be the nppd and be more operationally involved. None of the things that would help would be to give private sector actors more access to private information. Right now it is hard to pass the test that is a requirement that you have a need to know request for information. It has nothing to do with whether or not you are a reliable person, it is just whether or not you need to know. If youre a contractor, it is an easy thing to satisfy, if youre running infrastructure gets difficult. Onhink changing the mindset that and opening up the aperture for information would be very helpful. Need sometimes, particularly with nationstates, to be able to impose a cost. I would like to be candid. The structure in terms of how we escalate is still very undefined. What we do not want to do is accidentally trigger a war because we overreact to something. I think there needs to be serious thought, and perhaps some hearings on the question of what is the appropriate scale of escalation in response to certain attacks. Finally, i think we need to look call industrial policy as it relates to technology. Mcconnell and i did a piece on this a few weeks ago. We do not have a policy to alliedge u. S. Or businesses to invest in Critical Technologies that we need to control in order to make sure the chinese dont own us. With 5gthis play off right now. Where while way with government subsidies is pushing out 5g around the world. We go to our allies and say dont do this. Myself, a lotis of times what we hear back is you cant beat something with nothing. What do you have that is better and cheaper. Part of the problem is we have not facilitated a market in that kind of technology. Defense business with a Defense Industrial base. I would argue we need to have a what i wouldhat call detect National Security base. Sen. Carper i want to thank you for being here. We had an incredible tour led by the woman who runs the organization. I want to thank everyone here who runs all of the volunteers, too. It is important never to forget what happened. If we use our memories of those that tragic day, we also look forward. And look forward in ways we have been talking about here too today. Our onlineee of , iurity chairs that are here have had a privilege as a member this committee to work with all of you. And this wonderful public service. And had a chance also secretary john kelly. Tired fourstar marine general who served and was succeeded by kiersten nielsen. You are all good people. I think Exceptional People your leadership has been a blessing not just for the department but for our country. I woul i want to ask mine how to ask quick question. From the Deputy Assistant looked likehe holes cheese. We worked hard to do something about it. Secretary johnson, could you reflect on that again in context of what is going on today . Mr. Johnson that was kind of an unpleasant memories. They were vacancies when they stepped into the department in 2013. Un you and i talk about that. Me that weessed on need to fill the vacancies. That was probably my top priority as soon as i took office. There were a number of Senate Confirmed vacancies at the time. I think that we benefited from filling those vacancies in rapidfire via nine months. Just about every job had been filled. With a Senate Confirmed person. In having airtue Senate Confirmed president ial appointee in a lot of these component leadership positions. Security. Job when you go through that product process you recognize that you are accountable to the president , but you are accountable to the congress. When you are in a senate when you position, have been confirmed by the , you are in a position to provide the president with honest and candid advice. Sometimes that he doesnt want to hear. I certainly got the benefit of that from our dhs leaders once they were in the job. We have terrific people, as you know, is one of the first to come to mind. Craig few gate needed almost no oversight for me. He was a national asset, he was first rate and did a lot to restore fema to the position that it now occupies. I believe then and i believe now that filling the vacancies in this Important Agency has got to be the number one priority of the president and congress. If you consider threats to our homeland, we talked a little bit about terrorism. Cyber, also at huge threat. We talked about illegal immigration, and i agree with theetary napolitano, movement of folks across the barter across the border. We address too often the symptoms of the problems. We need to also address root causes. Whether the issue of the threat is terrorism, cyber, immigration, Climate Change, we cannot do this by ourselves as a nation. It is it has got to be a team. Just talk about the importance of relationships in cooperation with our friends and allies around the world . When i was in office we had great relationships with our allies overseas. Even when there was a little bit of tension, and there sometimes was. For example, the war in iraq when the Bush Administration was not necessarily popular with europe. I had very Close Relationships of my counterparts, we exchange of we exchanged information. I mentioned the 2006 airline plot. Working with john reed, we had a very small number of people in the u. S. It we will able to coordinate and stop what would have been a devastating plot and do it in a way that was disruptive. Meet senior officials from foreign governed foreign governments and they are hungry for american values. Etiquette is important that the congress emphasize our commitment to our allies and friends around the world. Ms. Napolitano i think the name Homeland Security in a way is a misnomer because if you wait until a threat actually reaches our homeland, you may be too late. It requires the department to have good alliances around the world for realtime intelligence operations. Port security, passenger screening, cargo screening. That happens abroad. The department really needs to look outward as well as inward to improve our overall level of safety and security. If thed be benefited country was seen as actively engaged and welcoming of these alliances as well. Secretary johnson just briefly please. Mr. Johnson i agree. Thank you. [laughter] thank you injured team for putting this together. I want to thank everyone here at the 9 11 museum and memorial for hosting us. A vector thank each of our secretaries for being here. It is a sullen time in our nations history. I was in the city on september 11 and saw the terror inflicted on our nation. Unfortunately it still impacts a lot of people. Survivors, First Responders, families of the victims. I want to thank each of you for your hard work. You can continue to be proud of the department of Homeland Security for everything they do. I was in the bahamas with the coast guard. They are right now saving lives from hurricane dorians aftermath. Border, thet the mexican california border. Roud of your border patrol. One question i have for each of you, as you go back, a lot of discussion after 9 11 was that agencies do not coordinate very well. I just finished eight years as governor and i watched the same thing continue to happen. We had the park when shooting. We had five People Killed at the airport in fort lauderdale. Killed in a people yoga studio right before i finished my time. In every case, the federal government had prior knowledge. They had gotten tips that was not followed up with. To this day, no one has been able to explain to me why, or if anyone has been held accountable. Are we in a better position than we were after 9 11 . Or do we still have the same issues that federal agency had in those cases the fbi or still not coordinating with other federal agencies and local governments. Each of you give me your ideas. From my perspective, it is much better than it used to be. I think that our Intelligence Community, or Law Enforcement community does a much better job of connecting the dots than it used to. I am sure that there is more we can do to get better at this. In my spirits, i have been impressed with the level of information sharing. I think a lot depends upon the personalities at the top of each agency. Tophe personalities at the have a good collegial relationship, that trickles down to the people that are sharing the information. Particularly in the Intelligence Community i will say that i was not a fan of the creation of bni. I thought it was an unnecessary level of bureaucracy. How jim clapper made it work. When i would get an intelligence product every morning, it would come from multiple intelligence agencies. There would be coordinated opinions, there might be dissents. I thought that that process worked well. Though there are a lot of different agencies in the alphabet soup giving us these products. That ifd the practice there was dissent in the intelligence report, i would bring them up to see me, the one who wrote it. He would talk about it and find out there wasnt a whole lot of difference. My overall impression is that. Doing a much better job than we did on 9 11. It depends a lot on the personalities. Ms. Napolitano i think intelligence sharing is better. It is always a goal. It is never perfect. Johnson. Ith secretary it depends in part on leadership from the top. From a Homeland Security perspective, i think that one of the focuses should be effective intelligence sharing into the state and local Law Enforcement environment. Surely is a work in progress. I think that one of the challenges we are facing is, as we are dealing with these inspired terrorists cooperating at the local level, it is often going to be the local authorities who get the first word. Just as we have a and ctc that is coordinated among federal agencies, i think Fusion Centers which dhs has set up for state and locals, or perhaps have a broader to look up the issue of domestic terrorists and not only jihadi terrorists. What we need to be like the private sector to do that theyre not doing today to deal with Homeland Security . To seenson i would like more investment in coronation on cyber. Most of the assets that can be attacked are in private hands. Some companies have done a very good job and stepping up, but a lot of them just hope some of these going to take care of the problem for them. Thank you. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I want to thank you and Ranking Member peters for your continued attention to the issue of Homeland Security and for convening the searing today. I would also like to thank all thank all witnesses for of todays witnesses for their lifelong dedication and attention to public safety. And for your efforts to protect our citizens and keep the United States homeland safe. Go tothanks also everybody who is here from local and state Law Enforcement. Is a teamecurity effort and a team mission, and i am grateful for all of your efforts. You to the 9 11 National Memorial museum. Miss greenwald, to your staff for hosting us on this hollow ground. It is such a moving tribute to all of those who perished nearly 18 years ago. I, like many people on the panel have many memories about 9 11. I think the most significant one is the feeling i had when i picked up my eightyearold daughter from school. Realizing how much her world had changed. I am once again overwhelmed by our countries profound our countrys profound loss that day and the sacrifices made by First Responders. Ourome ways 9 11 changed country forever, but our response reinforced to ar we are strong reinforce who we are. We are strong, we are resilient. We are reverent. We will fight for and protect our freedom. To all three of our secretaries because i have been dealing at home in New Hampshire with members of different houses of worship who are now increasingly concerned for their safety. No one of any faith should have to fear for their life when they visit their house of worship. About as we have talked of the past few years, americans have witnessed an increasing number of threats to Violent Attacks on houses of worship both at home and abroad. These threats are not confined to major metropolitan areas. Over the past month, i have of housesth members of worship in New Hampshire and heard about the disturbing threats that they have received. One rabbi noted that they now only open the doors to the temple shortly before services begin, and lock the doors shortly after the start of services. In addition to being concerned about that mentation, on the openness that should always mark a house of worship, this rabbi says as she leads her congregation during those minutes when the doors are open, she wonders is this the night we die . A few of these houses of worship received a small amount of funding from the department of Homeland Securitys Nonprofit Security Grant Program in order to help secure them against threats. But not allhelp, who applied were able to get them. There is much more to be done to keep houses of worship across the country safe. The Nonprofit Security Grant Program was created during your time as secretary. Secretaries napolitano and johnson, the program continued to expand under your watch. So have the threats. Could each of you share with me your thoughts on how the congress, the department, and the entire federal government can work to keep soft targets like houses of worship safe . Secretary chertoff, why dont we start with you. Mr. Chertoff this is always been a challenging issue. Houses of worship are very sensitive. We have seen it in schools, commercial establishments. It is impossible to lock down everything and have a free society. I think the grants help, and i think preserved during certain holidays. The police are sometimes hard to do some overtime. Some of it is training. Advising people about what to do if theres an active shooter, for example. The third piece is that this has to be better intelligence sharing. You if i wereting to say there was an absolute way to stop this. This is a question of risk mitigation. I do not think you can get risk illumination. We are going to do the best we can. I think there is real insight into what secretary chertoff said. We cannot lock down an open society. What we can do is to help mitigate risk. The Grant Program helps active Shooter Training helps the Grant Program helps, active Shooter Training helps. It really requires using a menu of approaches. There is not one single approach. Mr. Johnson the grants program you mentioned what i was struck by when i would look at is, thets every year program was well known in certain communities, but not others. Certain communities had figured out here after your how to apply , but it was not wellknown enough across the full spectrum of organizations it was intended to help. I hope that we have moved in a direction where there is larger awareness over the last couple of years. That is something i suspect congress can help with. In your states and districts. They are all competing for the same pot of money. Perhaps congress should consider raising thein your states and d. Level of funding. I agree with your assessment of the threat. The other thing i wanted to touch on is something that others have mentioned. On the issue of cyber threats. I wanted to focus a little bit on what is happening locally. Recent Ransomware Attacks designed to cripple Government Operations have targeted nearly every level of government. We have seen attacks on cities across the country. Do tore more we can assist state and local governments preventing and recovering from Cyber Attacks . Mr. Johnson mr. Chertoff one thing that could be done is to basic things to help secure their infrastructure. Including things like having backups for data. It is not going to eliminate the problem, but it is going to reduce the impact. Helping mitigate the risk is important. Also, i think that we ought to be exploring what the federal government can do and is doing by way of attribution. To help find the source of these attacks. So that an appropriate response can be constructed. I think the single best thing anyone can do in that situation is raise the level of awareness about security among the people that use the system. Youd be surprised to the number of people who do not know how to respond to a suspicious email. A lot of these attacks begin with an active spearfishing. Some of the opened an email or attachment they should not have opened. Raising the level of Awareness Among people we entrust with the system goes a long way. Thank you. I am pleased to report our county officials did recognize a fishing email open they got it and they had a pen and pencil backup system. It is going to be something we need to focus on. Thank you for your Service Center testimony. Six Terry Johnson come could i just ask you one more time to tell us about your special guest . Mr. Johnson his name is roger perino. He does not like to be the center of attention. He is a marine. Worked drugen we cases 30 years ago. Was atember 11, 2001, he new York City Police detective working in midtown. He saw what was happening, ran , and was almost one of the people he had a moment of silence for. He was the recipient of the medal of valor from the mayor. He went on to be appointed by Governor Cuomo to be commissioner of Homeland Security for new york state. Figure for that. Thank you for that. Commissioner, i thought it would be appropriate to honor you. As i look around, i see men and women wearing the uniform, i see some of new yorks finest year, i got to talk with the paleness of survivors. This building is such a monument to the courage of folks like you who protect us everyday and to run towards danger. Here you are living a living monument to that. I do not want to miss this opportunity to say thank you for what you did. Here agive everybody chance to say to you and all of you in this building who are wearing the uniform, thank you for protecting us. Thank you for representing the best of new york and the best of america. [applause] i do want to raise an issue now that has not been raised yet but is extremely important to the security of the American Homeland and certainly to the security of my stay. I represent the state of missouri. Inpent part of my time august when i was home traveling around to the most economically distressed counties in my state. 114 counties in missouri and i chose to visit some of those that dont normally get visits. Something that every Single Person in every Single Community that i visited told me about was the epidemic of drug abuse that is crippling and killing entire communities. Literally killing families, schools it is unbelievable. And my stated this overwhelmingly math. It is coming, according to the federal government, it is coming over the southern border. According to the 2018 dea methsment, most of the into the country is produced in mexico. Missouri has seen a 52 increase in meth Addiction Treatment in the last seven years. It is hard for me to ascribe to you, unless you are to visit and to see what this epidemic of drug abuse is doing to the families and schools in my state. What a crisis this is. I want to ask about what we can give voice to and what it is we can do to address this very real crisis that is being driven by what we do on the border. Secretary napolitano, let me start with you. I mustve missed understood you. I heard you say you did not think the border represents any threat to the homeland. I must have misunderstood you, because the people in my state who are losing their lives , the Law Enforcement who are completely overwhelmed by this epidemic that is coming across the border surely that constitutes a threat to the security of the people of this country. Dont you agree . Ms. Napolitano i think the border, as i said, it is a zone to be managed. Area whereinly an Law Enforcement needs to be engaged in terms of drug smuggling and gun smuggling. It requires a whole of government effort. It requires partnership with mexico. In terms of how the ports are managed. When smuggling occurs, the bulk of it occurs through ports of entry. It requires using the best Available Technology for inspection of vehicles. Cargor manifesting of come and the like. The manifesting of cargo, and the like. What i mean to suggest is that the border itself is not the number one threat to the safety and security of the American People. Despite the overwhelming public attention being drawn to the border as the function of dhs. You think that it is a threat . You said in your testimony this morning you did not think it was a threat at all. Not the number one threat, but no threat. I cannot understand that. What concerns me is it seems to be increasing the deposition of some members of your party who say it is not a threat at all. I do not understand how that could be the case given the threat that the people in my communities are facing. If we do not do something to stem the flow of Illegal Drugs across that border, i do not know what the folks are going to do. I do not understand when people say it is not a threat. Ms. Napolitano i think we need to look for areas of agreement. We can all agree on that. Ms. Napolitano we can all agree that we deserve a safe and secure border. The border needs to be enforced. Wont get any question about that from a. From me. The way i wrote my testimony was to say that the border is a zone. It is a zone to be managed in terms of threat. Threatot the number one to the safety and security of the American People. Drugs, and i about understand the Opioid Epidemic in the meth epidemic. I was a prosecutor. I understand this phenomenon very well. Each out and sympathize empathize with the people of missouri and other states across this country. Who have expanse the devastation caused by this epidemic. I think we need to be looking prevent thedo we importation of drugs . How do we deal with addiction as a disease as a country . That is really where the threat is. Not in terms of overall Border Management. Not in terms of a wall between the United States and mexico. Thank you. Thank you senator hawley. We do not have time for another round of questions although i think this thing to go on for hours. I would like to afford all three of you an opportunity to ship there something we did not discuss, talk about it. As we discussed last night, i think it is apparent here today, the fact that you are willing to offer your time and counsel and advice this committee appreciates it. I would love to have you work with us to move this country forward. When we start in reverse order with secretary johnson, if you have a few closing comments, please make some. Mr. Johnson as a former public i would plead with all of you who are today in the congress in positions of power. What i have observed happening of the past couple of years as we do not seem to have accepted levels the public doesnt seem tote we dont have enough opportunities to reach across the aisle and achieve something that requires Political Risk and is politically hard. It was not that long ago that became very close to comprehensive immigration reform. The Senate Passed by 68 votes. A lot of democrats and a lot of republicans. On the recognition that bothration reform included aca,th to citizenship, dr and smart border security. People on both sides of the aisle were able to coalesce around both of those principles. Now isobserved happening very few people are willing to do that anymore. Standing in their corners screaming at each other as the positions on both sides become more and more absurd. To the disservice of the were electedle you to serve. That is reflective of a lot of other issues. Ise lee as a private citizen as a private citizen is to tone down the rhetoric. I think this committee is an excellent place to do that because i know you try to operate in a bipartisan way. Please tone down the rhetoric. I think theno greatest service this committee can give is to help provide a oversight of the entire Homeland Security enterprise. Risksre the greatest facing the country . How are they best mitigated . Tot resources are necessary make sure that we are safe is we can be, ill be at we will never be riskfree and we live in an open society. I think if this committee can overall board of directors role, it would serve the department well. I would bef delighted to accept your imitation to continue to work with the community on these issues. It means a lot to have this hearing here. I vividly remember in the days and weeks after 9 11 out the country came together. That this was not an attack on people of one party, but all americans. Our member being with congress a few days afterwards in the house chamber. Both the senate and the house present. Republicans and emma gratz all unified in terms of their attitude to this. Of the privileges i had a secretary was to go to camp victory in iraq. American in new citizens wearing the u. S. Army made a form uniform. They came from all religions. Theyhad green cards and qualified for citizenship. Where there was live fire, taking the oath of american citizenship. To me, that is what america is about. What binds us together is not National Origin or ethnicity, but belief in a common set of values. When weit is important think about Homeland Security to recognize it begins with unity of effort. Not just within a department, but within the country. That ought to be requirements number one for everyone to reemphasize and underscore that bra nation bound by common values and a common constitution. That is what makes us greater that is what motivated the people we have celebrated in this hall. That is something we need to continue to cherish and uphold. Senator peters. Thank you for holding this hearing. I also want to thank Alice Greenwald again as well as your tremendous staff and volunteers for this amazing place that allows us to pay honor to those who lost their lives. Also, to continue to educate us as to what happened here. Why we must never forget and make sure that this never happens again. I understand your job is going to become more difficult as the next generation comes along who looks at this as history of and as vivid as in the minds as it is with all of us. The nextnot educate generation, that leads to the potential of it happening again. It must never happen again. You are involved in a very Important Mission with you and your staff. The secretaries for your testimony today. I think all three of you and your wrapup said it well. Something that i take to heart is i work on this committee. The department of Homeland Security has one of the toughest possiblycould have. You have to do two things. First off, you have to keep us all safe. To me, that is the number one job of the government, to keep americans safe from harm. That has to be first and foremost. You also have to balance it with the things that you mention, the values that built this country. We are free society. What makes United States so special is that we are a open and free society. We have to endeavor to keep americans safe while also protecting constitutional rights. Protect civil rights. That is a balancing job it is incredibly difficult to accomplish. One that we are going to have to constantly work at to make sure that we can achieve the right balance. , youther thing we must do have to be sure that the economy. I robust and moving forward know the border in michigan is one of the busiest in north america. People there have to make sure we are safe as well as making sure things are getting there on time. Any kind of delay ripples throughout the supply chain, so they are watching that closely. At the same time, u. S. Got to keep us safe. This is a very tough job. I think you for your service to the country. I thank you for your as we deal with a rapidly changing world and rapidly threats, its important to step back and remember where we came from, understand the essons that we learned in the past so that we can apply those lessons to the future. So thank you for your service. Thank you for being here. Senator johnson thank you, senator peters. I want to thank the secretaries. Job. An overwhelming its a responsibility each one of you assumed and each toretary assumes thats hard contemplate. Youll just get blamed for failures. O you dont get a whole lot of credit for success. I appreciate your past service to consult lingness this committee in the future. I want to thank alice and verybody whos worked on this amazing and remarkable place. American watching this hearing, come here. To be reminded. Its true, we can never forget. Thought that went into this place, as we walked down way thosechamber, the irst responders did, what really struck me were the ictures of the people that day in new york all fixated on the as we were told two billion other people around watched in real time day. Ragedy of that but as others have remarked, we responders, we military. Rs of the to me, we had a great dinner went ight and we all around the table. I think it was senator peters and senator romneys idea. Lets go describe what you were doing 9 11. Those of us alive, we all it. Mber for my part, i was in oshkosh, wisconsin, in our office looking and making probably the exact same comment that probably two billion people made thought. This changes everything. In the days that followed that, the pictures that theged of the firefighters, port authority, the cops in new ork city, the responders steps, rushing into danger to save their fellow americans. As we watched the finest among and women in the military also respond and around r and go halfway the world to not only defend our trying to literally develop freedom and liberty and people they have no idea who they were. Unique something pretty about america. Were not perfect. Ut i happen to think we are phenomenal force for good in the world. In the midst of tragedy and 9 11 every mass shooting, every hurricane, every National Disaster seems to bring out the examples of american ss of the people. To me, thats what this hearing is about. Is what our responsibility is to not only preserve this for future generations, to make sure it hrives, thats our responsibility. Thats what we dedicate this committee to do. Again, i just want to thank everybody for attending. For t to thank everybody their service and really just onclude by saying, god bless america. Now, i have to read the earing record will remain open for 15 days for the submission of statements and questions for the record. This hearing is adjourned. National captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] as things wrap up at the 9 11 memorial and smue seem in new york city, the field hearing comes to an end. On capitol hill today, Congress Returns from their summer states and district works period. Debating bills on gas drilling in the anwr and eastern gulf of mexico. You can watch live coverage of the house here on cspan. And the Senate Returns at 3 00 eastern. Lawmakers will continue work on the president s executive nomination, including for kelly kraft to be the u. S. Ambassador to the u. N. Senators will vote at 5 30 eastern on advancing her nomination. You can watch live coverage of the senate on cspan2. And this evening, President Trump will hold a Campaign Rally in fayetteville, north carolina, ahead of tomorrows special election for the noint Congressional District in north carolina. Live coverage of the president s rally at 7 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan2. And then tomorrow, the House Judiciary Committee will take up a number of gun violence prevention bills starting at 2 00 eastern on cspan3. A reminder, you can follow all of our programs online as well at cspan. Org or listen with the free cspan radio app. Wednesday is the 18th anniversary of the 9 11 terrorist attacks. Watch our live coverage at 8 30 a. M. Eastern on cspan3. From the 9 11 Memorial Plaza in new york city. The moment of silence, the reading of the names, and the ringing of the bells. At 9 00 a. M. Eastern on cspan, from the pentagon a wreath laying ceremony. Live coverage of the 18th anniversary of the be 9 11 terrorist attacks on cspan, cspan3, and online at cspan. Org. Or listen live on the free span radio app. What is your vision in 2020. Student cam is asking students, what issues do you want to see the president ial nominees address during the campaign. Student cam is the nationwide video documentary. With 100,000 in total cash prizes at stake, including a