Ten years ago, the 9/11 Commission urged Congress to overhaul its supervision of the Department of Homeland Security in the name of national security. At the time, Homeland Security answered to 88 Congressional committees and subcommittees. The issue was spotlighted in an ad in the New York Times.
At the 2014 Aspen Ideas Festival, national security experts including former 9/11 Commission chair Thomas H. Kean agreed that the nation is not as safe as it could or should be. One problem: Congressional oversight of the Department of Homeland Security was in the hands of too many committees and subcommittees.
More than 60 leaders in national defense urged Congress today to reform the way it oversees homeland security, saying that the current system jeopardizes national security and leaves the nation vulnerable to cyber-attacks, bioterrorism, and other threats.
On the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a bipartisan task force of homeland-security experts, government officials and former members of the 9/11 Commission has released a report outlining the need for stronger and clearer Congressional oversight of national security.