The upcoming week will be a busy one for Congressional hearings, but it currently looks like there will only be three of potential interest to the chemical security community, including an FY 2011 appropriations hearing, an FY 2012 budget hearing and a cybersecurity meeting. I'll look at the last first.
Cybersecurity
The Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies from the House Homeland Security Committee will be holding a hearing “Examining the Cyber Threat to Critical Infrastructure and the American Economy” on Wednesday, March 16th. There is no witness list posted yet so we don’t know if this will concentrate on IT or ICS security issues, but this is a committee that many people expect to specifically address ICS security issues during this session.
Budget Hearings
The Homeland Security Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee is continuing their series of hearings looking at the Administrations FY2012 budget request for components of DHS. On Tuesday they will be looking at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) with Administrator Pistole appearing. The major focus will be air security measures, but freight rail security and truck freight security issues will come up briefly.
The House Rules Committee will look at the next short-term continuing resolution, HJ Res 48, on Monday afternoon. I’ll look at that CR in more detail in a separate blog posting.
Showing posts with label FY 2012 Budget Request. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FY 2012 Budget Request. Show all posts
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
FY 2012 Budget Request – CFATS Extension
I have finally had a chance to look through the FY 2012 Budget Appendix, the 1300+ page document that provides more detailed information about the President’s budget request. Even with all of that information there are no details available on the finances of the CFATS program; still too small a program to merit direct mention.
There is an oblique mention however to the program. It is found in §528 (pg 553). There the Obama Administration requests that the §550 authorization for the CFATS program be extended to until October 4th, 2013. Yep, that would effectively make it a two-year extension.
Politically, that would take it beyond the 2012 Congressional elections when the Democrats hope to regain their majority in the House while extending their lead in the Senate. It would appear that the Democratic administration hopes that their return to full-control of the legislative branch would finally allow them to pass ‘comprehensive chemical facility security legislation’.
There is an oblique mention however to the program. It is found in §528 (pg 553). There the Obama Administration requests that the §550 authorization for the CFATS program be extended to until October 4th, 2013. Yep, that would effectively make it a two-year extension.
Politically, that would take it beyond the 2012 Congressional elections when the Democrats hope to regain their majority in the House while extending their lead in the Senate. It would appear that the Democratic administration hopes that their return to full-control of the legislative branch would finally allow them to pass ‘comprehensive chemical facility security legislation’.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Congressional Hearings – Week of February 28th
Next week Congress will be dominated by budget matters. With the March 4th deadline for approval of FY 2011 appropriations fast approaching, there will be some sort of action or deliberate inaction on that front. And the President’s FY 2012 budget will get continued attention. The only hearings currently scheduled that will be of interest to the chemical security community will be about the FY 2012 budget.
DHS Department Budget Request
Secretary Napolitano will be making two appearances on Capitol Hill this week to explain the President’s DHS budget request for FY 2012. She will appear before the Homeland Security Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday morning she will make her appearance before the House Homeland Security Community that was originally scheduled for the 17th.
Her prepared testimony will be essentially the same as she presented to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on the 17th. The questions will likely be a little different, reflecting the parochial interests of the various committee members.
Typically we would not expect to see much in the way of questions about CFATS; it’s just too small a program from a budget perspective. That may change this week for two reasons. First, there is a remote chance that Chairman King might take the opportunity to ask a question or two about delays in the CFATS implementation as they might indicate a lack of resources for internal review of SSP submissions.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Wednesday arrest of 20-year-old Saudi Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari in Texas on charges related to improvised explosives (or WMD as it is known to the FBI) weren’t the subject of at least a few questions. There might be specific questions about his ability to buy the chemicals and equipment necessary to make an IED (something of no surprise to anyone in the chemical community). Secretary Napolitano would certainly be expected to include in her response that it was a chemical company’s warning that led to his arrest.
Coast Guard Budget Request
While his name does not yet appear on the House Transportation Committee web site for the Tuesday morning hearing before the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, the Commandant of the Coast Guard will certainly be one of the three government witnesses that will testify on maritime related budget requests. Again MTSA will not likely appear in his written testimony because of its relatively small budget impact. Questions might be asked about the TWIC Reader implementation process.
FY 2011 Continuing Resolution
There is not currently any hearings scheduled on HR 1 in the Senate. There have been news reports that the Senate Appropriations Committee is crafting an alternative to the House bill. It is unlikely that there would be hearings on that alternative; it would most likely show up on the Senate floor as an amendment in the form of a substitute. Until that alternative actually makes an appearance it is difficult to forecast its potential for passing in the Senate.
With the deadline fast approaching and almost everybody expecting some sort of a fight between the Senate and the House on HR 1 there has been much talk of a potential government shut down. Yesterday we started to see news reports that the Republicans in the House were working on a shorter term version of HR 1 to be offered as deadline bridge to allow that fight to be fully played out. Such a bill would certainly call for a Rules Committee hearing, but one is not yet scheduled. Such a bill and hearing would have to be announced early in the week to conform to the new House Rules.
DHS Department Budget Request
Secretary Napolitano will be making two appearances on Capitol Hill this week to explain the President’s DHS budget request for FY 2012. She will appear before the Homeland Security Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday morning she will make her appearance before the House Homeland Security Community that was originally scheduled for the 17th.
Her prepared testimony will be essentially the same as she presented to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on the 17th. The questions will likely be a little different, reflecting the parochial interests of the various committee members.
Typically we would not expect to see much in the way of questions about CFATS; it’s just too small a program from a budget perspective. That may change this week for two reasons. First, there is a remote chance that Chairman King might take the opportunity to ask a question or two about delays in the CFATS implementation as they might indicate a lack of resources for internal review of SSP submissions.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Wednesday arrest of 20-year-old Saudi Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari in Texas on charges related to improvised explosives (or WMD as it is known to the FBI) weren’t the subject of at least a few questions. There might be specific questions about his ability to buy the chemicals and equipment necessary to make an IED (something of no surprise to anyone in the chemical community). Secretary Napolitano would certainly be expected to include in her response that it was a chemical company’s warning that led to his arrest.
Coast Guard Budget Request
While his name does not yet appear on the House Transportation Committee web site for the Tuesday morning hearing before the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, the Commandant of the Coast Guard will certainly be one of the three government witnesses that will testify on maritime related budget requests. Again MTSA will not likely appear in his written testimony because of its relatively small budget impact. Questions might be asked about the TWIC Reader implementation process.
FY 2011 Continuing Resolution
There is not currently any hearings scheduled on HR 1 in the Senate. There have been news reports that the Senate Appropriations Committee is crafting an alternative to the House bill. It is unlikely that there would be hearings on that alternative; it would most likely show up on the Senate floor as an amendment in the form of a substitute. Until that alternative actually makes an appearance it is difficult to forecast its potential for passing in the Senate.
With the deadline fast approaching and almost everybody expecting some sort of a fight between the Senate and the House on HR 1 there has been much talk of a potential government shut down. Yesterday we started to see news reports that the Republicans in the House were working on a shorter term version of HR 1 to be offered as deadline bridge to allow that fight to be fully played out. Such a bill would certainly call for a Rules Committee hearing, but one is not yet scheduled. Such a bill and hearing would have to be announced early in the week to conform to the new House Rules.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
DHS FY 2012 Budget Message
Yesterday the Office of Management and Budget web site posted the President’s Budget Message including the report on the FY 2012 DHS Budget Request. This is really more of a political justification for the budget request than the actual proposed spending numbers. The actual numbers will be provided to Congress later this week. Overall spending request for DHS ($46.9 Billion) is up from the actually approved FY 2010 budget ($44.5 Billion), but down from the FY 2011 ‘estimate’ ($48.1 Billion) but no real numbers are available for FY 2011 since Congress has yet to finalize that budget.
This six-page document only provides high-level numbers so we can’t see the affect the President’s budget request would have (if Congress actually passes it) on chemical security programs. We can see decreases in TSA spending ($5.1 Billion requested; down from $5.5 Billion), and NPPD spending ($1.43 Billion requested; down from $1.44 Billion). Coast Guard discretionary spending will increase ($8.7 Billion requested, up from $8.6 Billion).
Interestingly, the only mention of critical infrastructure protection in this document is when it mentions the Comprehensive National Cyber Security Initiative and it only addresses “the vital missions of preventing terrorism and enhancing security” in passing in the opening paragraph (pg 87).
Oh, well. We’ll continue to watch the unfolding budget debates; both the FY 2011 and FY 2012 budgets. This is going to be a lovely season for blogging.
This six-page document only provides high-level numbers so we can’t see the affect the President’s budget request would have (if Congress actually passes it) on chemical security programs. We can see decreases in TSA spending ($5.1 Billion requested; down from $5.5 Billion), and NPPD spending ($1.43 Billion requested; down from $1.44 Billion). Coast Guard discretionary spending will increase ($8.7 Billion requested, up from $8.6 Billion).
Interestingly, the only mention of critical infrastructure protection in this document is when it mentions the Comprehensive National Cyber Security Initiative and it only addresses “the vital missions of preventing terrorism and enhancing security” in passing in the opening paragraph (pg 87).
Oh, well. We’ll continue to watch the unfolding budget debates; both the FY 2011 and FY 2012 budgets. This is going to be a lovely season for blogging.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Congressional Hearings Week of 02-14-11
There are currently three hearings scheduled that will be of potential interest to the chemical security community. All three hearings deal with budget matters, one for FY 2011 and two for FY 2012
FY 2011 New Continuing Resolution
Readers should remember that the current funding authorization for FY 2011 (which started on October 1st, 2010) ends on March 4, 2011; just a few short weeks away. On Friday HR 1 was introduced and it will be the vehicle for the first shot at a continuing resolution for the remainder of the fiscal year. I should have a post tomorrow evening sometime about the chemical security details (if any). Here we just need to know that the House Rules Committee will be holding their hearing on this bill on Monday, the 14th at 5:00 pm EST.
FY 2012 DHS Budget
On Thursday the 17th both Homeland Security Committees will be visited by Sec. Napolitano who will be explaining the President’s budget request for DHS in FY 2012. The House committee will be starting off at 10:00 a.m. EST with the Senate hearing in the afternoon at 2:30 pm EST.
FY 2011 New Continuing Resolution
Readers should remember that the current funding authorization for FY 2011 (which started on October 1st, 2010) ends on March 4, 2011; just a few short weeks away. On Friday HR 1 was introduced and it will be the vehicle for the first shot at a continuing resolution for the remainder of the fiscal year. I should have a post tomorrow evening sometime about the chemical security details (if any). Here we just need to know that the House Rules Committee will be holding their hearing on this bill on Monday, the 14th at 5:00 pm EST.
FY 2012 DHS Budget
On Thursday the 17th both Homeland Security Committees will be visited by Sec. Napolitano who will be explaining the President’s budget request for DHS in FY 2012. The House committee will be starting off at 10:00 a.m. EST with the Senate hearing in the afternoon at 2:30 pm EST.
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