In the four years since its creation, the Department of Homeland Security has fallen far short of expectations, according to an extensive Congressional audit released last week.
DHS failed to meet more than half of 171 performance expectations during the department-wide review, conducted from March to July of this year, according to the Government Accountability Office report (PDF) dated August 17 and released Thursday.
The department was created in 2003 to merge 22 separate government agencies with the overall mission of preventing and responding to terrorist attacks and natural disasters.
The report, broken down by mission and management areas, stated that DHS had made the most progress in maritime security, and little to no progress with emergency preparedness and response, science and technology, human capital management and information technology management.
Not coincidentally, these are the areas in which DHS has had its most publicized failures.
Most notably, GAO’s chief auditor told Congress (PDF) that DHS could not take credit for the lack of terrorist attacks since September 11, 2001.
“I don’t think we can take comfort in the fact, necessarily, that we haven’t had another attack,” Government Accountability Office Comptroller General David Walker told senators Thursday . . .
During congressional testimony Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff defended the department’s progress.
“But if you ask me is the job of keeping us safe done, the answer to that is no,” Chertoff said. “It is not done. And it may not be done within our lifetimes.” — Associated Press
Chertoff also told Congress that the department suffered from too much Congressional oversight and that oversight should be consolidated.
Chertoff said the department reports to 86 committees and subcommittees, and will likely spend a total of about 15,000 work hours this year supporting formal congressional hearings.
“Moreover, the number of very detailed written reports required of DHS by Congress is proliferating at an alarming rate,” Chertoff said.
“Arguably, the most important step Congress can take to improve operational effectiveness at DHS at this juncture is to streamline congressional oversight of DHS,” he added. “This would allow DHS to focus our time and resources much more effectively on our critical missions, while preserving an appropriate level of congressional oversight. I urge Congress to implement this vital reform.” — Congress Daily
I suppose he forgot to mention that the department itself is growing at an alarming rate. Is it any wonder that it can’t get everything done?
Speaking of Chertoff, he’s calling for shared sacrifice in the name of security, calling for all Americans to accept “minor inconveniences” like the REAL ID card, holey border fences and blue-gloved customs agents poking ordinary Americans trying to get home from Canada.
Chertoff says he is frustrated by the growing number of “people who say, ‘Yes, protect us, but not if it inconveniences me.’ ”
In an interview shortly before the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Chertoff said he considers it one of his “biggest obligations” in his remaining 16 months in office to eliminate the “not-in-my-backyard attitude” when it comes to relatively small costs and inconveniences.
He says he will launch a campaign to spread a message of shared sacrifice “in as plain English as I can, as often as I can and in as many places as I can” from now to January 2009, when his tenure will end with a new presidency. — USA TODAY
Of course, DHS officials disagreed strongly with GAO’s conclusions, citing “flawed methodology,” according to DHS undersecretary for management Paul Schneider. The methodology, of course, was to study the legislation, presidential directives, and controlling regulations, and determine whether DHS was doing what it was supposed to be doing. In so many areas, it failed to live up to that simple criterion.
Maybe we’re safer now than before 9/11, as Chertoff repeatedly says, but I doubt it. “Homeland security” has become yet another pork-barrel bonanza for government contractors, state and local governments and well-connected insiders who get hundreds of billions of dollars for new toys we don’t need. And with Homeland Security’s track record, we’d likely get much better security by just buying every American a rifle and sidearm and training. Come to think of it, that would save hundreds of billions of dollars, too.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Karl Marx would love the popular moves among politicians in various state governments and the federal government to ban so-called "junk" food in schools, and to "put healthy food in" convenience stores and on the tables of those they define as poor. It's a very elitist and arrogant mindset that promotes this ideology, and it needs to be addressed.
Ultimately, the war supporters in Congress prevailed in the vote on the resolution. Still, the vote was significant because it places every member of Congress on the record as supporting or not supporting the unconstitutional, costly, violent occupation of a country that never attacked us. This vote should serve as an important reminder to the American people of where their representatives really stand when it comes to policing the world, empire building, and war.
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Fraud Guy
Sep 12, 2007
So, basically, DHS has not prevented or protected us from another terrorist attack, and Petraeus yesterday reluctantly said that the war in Iraq is not making us safer at home.
However, if Bush smiles on the news and says that we’re safer, we are–miraculously!
It might be time for plan B to protect ourselves (to be fair, probably should be called plan A, as there obviously was no plan A from this administration to protect the citizens).
Admiral Justin
Sep 13, 2007
Oddly enough, on my google page, just above the RSS feed for this article…
“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’
– Ronald Reagan”
So true....
Sep 13, 2007
Who are they here to help??? Most likely they are here to help themselves!!! The majority of taxes goes to politiicans according to True Majority.org.!!!
Rights
Sep 13, 2007
Are we truly secure or will we ever be hell no. We have the right to bare arms. More people need to join the NRA. Sometimes you have to take the law into your own hands and defend yourself!!! If you don’t you will end up in a casket!!!
Anonymous
Sep 13, 2007
Are we truly secure or will we ever be hell no. We have the right to bare arms. More people need to join the NRA. Sometimes you have to take the law into your own hands and defend yourself!!! If you don’t you will end up in a casket!!!
Turds_R_Us
Sep 13, 2007
that’s because the mission they really have, and the mission everyone thinks they have are 2 different things. trust me, they have done everything they are supposed to do.
OH yeah!!!
Sep 15, 2007
The case of the split mind!!!! What is thier definition of reality and fantasy!!! Dunkin doughnuts or Winchell’s????
Nah.....
Sep 15, 2007
It was Mission Mc Donald’s and your wallet??? Can they have your tax money with that and your house??? They need your car too so, be on gaurd everyone!!! Have a great week!!!
hah
Sep 16, 2007
DHS is one big joke
For sure!!!
Sep 16, 2007
It sure is so people need to be aware and tell everyone about this wonderful sight. Everyone should read all posts for thier own protection!!! Don’t let your life be sold at the next Police Auction for pennies on the dollar. Don’t be a victim of the game but, a winner!!!!
Film those bastards!
Sep 16, 2007
Hold the loser corrupt ones accountable film them, put them on You tube to protect others and be sure to send a copy to thier supervisor!!! It is time to send the bad ones to be with the rest of thier so called gang in Federal Prison!! Stand up America or you will be walked on literally!!!
DHS
Sep 17, 2007
DHS really stands for Department of HOG SCUM or Department of HOG SHITS ha ha Thier corruptly run police auctions and set up of innocent people who’s lives they ruin forever just so they can buy stuff cheap sucks!! Now I know where the word Pig came from for cop!! IT is no lie!!! Every Cop has to face up to thier crimes in one way or another. Some of them get a cancer or worse. They get what they desserve if they are corrupt. The word TURD doesn’t do them justice. How about PIG SHIT ha ha ha Stand up America!!!
miche
Sep 17, 2007
Perhaps if DHS weren’t busy training SWAT for Dallas area schools, they might make some progress. I’m kidding, but unfortunately it’s only their potential progress that I’m kidding about.
James
Sep 28, 2007
We need to contact our congress person and other reps and tell them to abolish the DHS. Its not working and soaking up to much money. Tell them to impeach bush, cheney, rice and jail the others. We need to vote out ALLL the bad Reps and fill the congress with fresh people letting them know why they are there and tell them they will be gone if they dont stand up for america. This is BULL***T NAFTA, CAFTA, SPP, NAU, etc all this stuff is bad for america and we need to tell our reps to get rid of it. Vote RON PAUL!
Erin
Oct 01, 2007
I know you’ll enjoy this!
David
Oct 13, 2007
As an ex-Republican I have been wracking my mind to find SOMETHING that this administration hasn’t screwed up. The results are as empty as any politicians promise. One thing that has always nagged at me: the created DHS with a HUGE budget, then amalgamated a bunch of over paid over pensioned brain dead government parasites and their little bureaus with their budgets intact – are we paying bouble for this unbelievable stupidity??? Light the bonfires, grab the pitchforks and awaken Mme. Thérèse Defarge the hour of duty for all citizens nears !!!!!
Anonymous
Jan 12, 2008
I once called homeland security to ask them about their new employee non-alien form (I forget what it’s really called). Anyway, this form requires employers to request 2 forms of id to prove the new employee is a u.s. citizen. I objected to this requirement and so called homeland security to find out more or to find out how I could give less information. I told homeland security I didn’t fell comfortable providing my date of birth and social security numbers, especially since the employer is not required to do anything with the data anyway. so homeland security said to me, “why would you want to mask your date of your birth?” they didn’t use the word mask, i can’t remember the word they used. but in essence, what they were saying was, your information is not proviate and you should not expect to want to protect it.