9/11 Public Discourse Project Releases Third Report Card

The 9/11 Public Discourse Project released its third report card on the status of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations Monday, giving the government low marks for securing nuclear materials abroad and alleging the detainee abuse scandals have turned more Muslims against the U.S. The former 9/11 Commissioners did praise the government for attempting to eliminate some of the roots of extremist activity by fighting terrorism financing and integrating the Arab and Muslim world into the global trading system. However, the third report card, like the first two, is largely critical of both the Bush Administration and Congress, according to a Reuters article.

The Commissioners also stated that the government was not doing enough to keep nuclear, biological and chemical weapons out of terrorists’ hands. They cited an agreement reached last February by Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin to secure nuclear materials as a step in the right direction, but noted that much remains to be done to secure loose enriched uranium and tactical nuclear weapons, which can easily be transported. “Preventing terrorists from gaining access to weapons of mass destruction must be elevated above all other problems of national security [because] it represents the greatest threat to the American people," the PDP members are quoted in an Associated Press article.

The report card also noted with dismay the international political fallout from detainee abuse scandals at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, the Guantanamo detention camp, and at secret sites around the globe. The Commissioners expressed concern that aggressive interrogation methods undermine America’s reputation as a moral leader and potentially breed increased anti-American extremism and terrorism. "The United States must define itself in the Islamic world," said commission co-chairman Lee Hamilton, as quoted in a USA Today article. Otherwise, "the extremists will gladly do the job for us."

Click here for a summary of the PDP’s third report card and read statements from Commission Chair Tom Kean and Vice Chair Lee Hamilton on the PDP website.

Government accountability office critical of Cargo Safety

Two issues important to the PDP were also in the news this week: air cargo safety and intelligence reform. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report last week that criticizes the Transportation and Safety Administration for failing to make progress in inspecting cargo shipped on passenger planes. According to the GAO report, last year, about 6 billion pounds of cargo -- a quarter of the cargo shipped by air in the United States -- was flown aboard passenger airplanes. The report charges that the TSA has not taken the initial step of conducting a risk and vulnerability assessment. "Uninspected cargo is a risk to air passengers," Connecticut Congressman Christopher Shays (R) is quoted in an Associated Press article Thursday. VOICES’ founding director Mary Fetchet joined Shays at a press conference in May to support a stronger inspection program. (Read article from cnn.com)

In response to the critical report, TSA spokeswoman Yolanda Clark said the agency recently required airlines to triple random inspections of cargo, hired 100 cargo inspectors and is testing new security technology. Some critics, notably Congressman Ed Markey, who co-sponsored tough inspection legislation with Shays, say efforts short of full inspection are not enough. The TSA objects to full inspections, saying it would cost the government $3.6 billion over 10 years and could delay cargo shipments, according to a recent USA Today article. Click to read an executive summary and the full text of the GAO report.

Intelligence Reform Ineffective, says 9/11 Commissioner John Lehman

John Lehman, former Secretary of the Navy and a Republican member of the 9/11 Commission and PDP, harshly criticized the reorganization of America’s intelligence services, saying it has not proceeded according to the Commission’s recommendations. Writing in a Washington Post OP-ED on Wednesday, Lehman charges: “Instead of the lean structure recommended by the commission, with a small but powerful staff based on just three deputies (one each for foreign, domestic and military intelligence), the administration reached all the way back to the McNamara years to create a huge new staff to sit on top of the old and still bloated bureaucracies.” According to Lehman, these new layers of bureaucracy have not fixed the intelligence collection and analysis problems that allowed the 9/11 attacks to proceed, and have perhaps made them worse. “Reform requires inspiring leadership, bold vision and, above all, decisive action. We have not seen it,” Lehman wrote.

New York Loses Money for 9/11 First Responders

$125 million budgeted for the mental and physical heath needs of first responders at Ground Zero has been taken back by Congress. The last-ditch effort of a bipartisan coalition of New York Congressional representatives was unable to protect the money, but they have promised not to give up entirely. The money was originally requested by President Bush in 2002 as part of a $20 billion recovery package, but Bush asked Congress to take the balance of $125 million back this year because it has yet to be spent. The money will instead be used to plug holes in the Health and Human Services Department (HHSD) budget for fiscal year 2006.

A rare bipartisan alliance defeated the HHSD budget bill on Thursday, possibly putting the $125 million back on the table. But according to a congressional staffer contacted by VOICES, it is unlikely to be included in a renegotiated final appropriation. New York officials now hope to salvage the money for Ground Zero workers in an emergency spending measure expected later this year for Hurricane Katrina recovery, or other legislation. "We will try hard in the coming weeks, but ultimately Congress will have something of a black eye over this," Congressman Vito Fossella (R, NY) is quoted in an Associated Press article.

VOICES believes it is unconscionable to short-change the brave rescue and recovery workers who selflessly answered the call on 9/11. We know from experience that 9/11 first responders are still suffering significant mental and physical trauma from their experiences. Many of these problems are chronic and require ongoing care. It is important to let our public servants know that this money is necessary, and we urge you to contact your representatives in support of the New York Delegation. The first responders put themselves in harm’s way to help us and deserve our support in their time of need.