Chertoff complains of heavy congressional
oversight.
by Magnuson, Stew
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
* During 2007, Department of Homeland Security officials testified
before Congress 224 times.
That averages to about four times a week, Secretary Michael
Chertoff pointed out in his annual end of the year speech that touted
the department's accomplishments.
The problem is that the department answers to 86 different
congressional committees and subcommittees.
The department was created from 22 legacy agencies, and each fell
under several committees. For example, the Coast Guard still answers to
transportation, commerce, natural resources and appropriations
committees as well as the homeland security committees that were created
after 9/11.
The 9/11 Commission recommended that Congress pare down the number
of committees that have oversight responsibilities, but its report came
out in 2004, and since then nothing has happened, Chertoff complained.
"Much to my dismay, this recommendation on streamlining
oversight has gone largely unheeded," he said. "We face a
situation that I would describe as oversight run amok."
Since the department's creation, DHS officials have testified
761 times, provided roughly 7,800 written reports and answered more than
13,000 questions for the record, he added.
That is a drain on the department's time and resources, but
the larger problem is the myopic ways the committees look at the
department, he said. Each committee has its own ideas on how the
department should prioritize its spending and resources.
"These committees tend to look at us through the prism of
their own particular, specific interests. They don't look at the
big picture in terms of what's best for nation's security
overall, and how do we best make these trade-offs," he said.
Chertoff said the high turnover of personnel in upper management
could be partly blamed on the excessive demands of Congress.
"Please give us a reasonable number of points of contact so
that we can engage in a dialogue with Congress in a way that is
disciplined," he asked.
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