One Nation Under Siege: Congress, Terrorism, and the Fate of American Democracy by Jocelyn Evans

Author:Jocelyn Evans [Evans, Jocelyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Legislative Branch, Democracy, Political Ideologies, Political Science, American Government
ISBN: 9780813173825
Google: 9d_4HUjEWz4C
Goodreads: 11163969
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Published: 2010-07-30T11:47:11+00:00

Jurisdictional Battles

Perhaps the greatest impediment to both the legislative productivity and effective oversight of the House Homeland Security Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has been the constant and continuing jurisdictional warfare among rival committees over policy concerns related to homeland security. Part of this conflict stems from a deeper definitional battle over the meaning of “homeland security.” In summarizing the recommendations and witness testimony received by the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, Michael Koempel suggests, “homeland security is a continuum of international and domestic initiatives and activities, all of which are essential to reducing the likelihood and potential impact of terrorist attacks against the United States.”6 While this definition broadens rather than narrows the focus of homeland security, it also suggests the interconnectedness of the issue with other policy areas. Koempel further asserts: “For transportation policy, agricultural policy, public health policy, trade policy, and so on, homeland security is one component of the policy area. Even if homeland security is now recognized as a critical component, some policymakers see the need for homeland security policy to mesh with the specific policy area and to be made within the context of the specific policy area.”7 Airline security, for example, should be considered within the broader context of mass transportation. A senior Democratic staffer summarized: “It is a substantial new responsibility, but it is lumped on top of everything else. Other committees that think they have jurisdiction are not going to give up easily. Those committees want to play a role.”

The U.S. House of Representatives

Several of those I interviewed on the House side noted the role of jurisdictional disputes in delaying committee productivity and effective oversight of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). A chief of staff for one member serving on the committee, when asked to evaluate the effectiveness of homeland security in the post-9/11 environment, suggested: “[My member] toured the Homeland Security Department because he wanted to see where these people worked. There wasn't any vision. It was created as a knee-jerk reaction. It is the largest civilian department. It is incredibly diverse, and dealing with it is a living hell. They're afraid of making decisions. Part of it is Congress's fault. To pick up votes, they [party leadership] gave to rural, small-town districts…. Homeland Security still hasn't passed a bill [as of 2006]. The committee is still fighting for jurisdiction. Appropriations won't give it up. Judiciary won't either. The infighting and backbiting is typical.” Why has there been such a problem with establishing the jurisdiction of the Homeland Security Committee? The same staff person explained that “you can't create a new committee without changing all the committees. It affects both authorization and appropriations for justice, commerce, armed services, interior, government oversight….”

With the fight over jurisdiction continuing years after the creation of the House Homeland Security Committee, it is reasonable to ask if all the effort is well spent. The committee has been designated as a permanent or standing committee of the House. Once

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