Correspondence
Top House Dems Urge Appropriators Fund Secret Service Overtime Pay for 2016 & 2020 Elections
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Reps. Elijah E. Cummings and Bennie G. Thompson, Ranking Members of the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform and Homeland Security, sent a letter to the House Committee on Appropriations urging appropriators to include funding for Fiscal Year 2017 that would ensure that Secret Service agents are eligible to be paid for the overtime they earn in each of the 2016 and 2020 presidential election years. Press accounts report that at least 1,000 Secret Service … Continue Reading
October 26, 2016
Cyberattack Shows DHS Must Linkup With Critical Infrastructure Companies
(WASHINGTON) - Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson inquiring about the recent distributed denial of service (DDoS) cyber attacks against the network services of Dyn, Inc. The October 21 attacks affected many popular websites and access to these sites was temporarily hindered. In the letter, Ranking Member Thompson stresses the importance of having robust information sharing and outreach … Continue Reading
October 21, 2016
Dangerous Political Rhetoric Could Incite Violence
(WASHINGTON) - Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson regarding inciteful rhetoric on the campaign trail, the growth in antigovernment militia groups, and possibility of violence. In the letter, Congressman Thompson states: "Members of militia groups and 'sovereign citizens' report feeling a sense of legitimization from political rhetoric of Republican Presidential nominee Donald J. … Continue Reading
August 30, 2016
Top House Dems Seek FBI Investigation of Possible Trump Connections to Cyber Attacks
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Reps. Elijah E. Cummings, John Conyers, Jr., Elliot L. Engel, and Bennie G. Thompson, the Ranking Members of the House Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, Judiciary, Foreign Affairs, and Homeland Security, sent a detailed letter to FBI Director James Comey requesting that the FBI assess whether connections between Trump campaign officials and Russian interests may have contributed to cyber attacks against the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic … Continue Reading
August 19, 2016
DHS Reliance on Private Prisons Must Also Be Reviewed
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to John Roth, Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security, on the Department's reliance on private prisons. In light of the Department of Justice's recent decision to terminate or not renew its contracts with privately operated prisons, Ranking Member Thompson called on the DHS Inspector General to conduct an immediate review of DHS' use of private prisons. … Continue Reading
August 10, 2016
All Threats Towards Candidates Should be Investigated and Treated Equally
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to United States Secret Service (USSS) Director Joseph Clancy regarding recent statements by the Republican presidential nominee. Any personal threat to cause harm, along with the encouragement of others to cause harm, is a serious offense. In fact, United States Code 18 U.S.C. § 879 states that anyone who knowingly and willingly threatens to inflict bodily harm upon a … Continue Reading
August 08, 2016
Homeland Security Must Help Secure Election System
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson regarding the security of the nation’s election system. In recent weeks, a spate of hacking incidents against national political institutions have brought into sharp focus that cyber hackers, possibly at the direction of a foreign government, are engaged in a campaign to exploit cyber vulnerabilities to impact the forthcoming … Continue Reading
July 26, 2016
Thompson, Engel, Conyers: Russia Must Not Interfere with U.S. Election
(WASHINGTON) - Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs; Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Judiciary; and Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, today underscored the potential threat of Russia’s interference in an American election, and urged the Administration to take steps to prevent Russia’s manipulation of the American political … Continue Reading
May 26, 2016
Letter: Problems with Red Cross in Mississippi Continue
(WASHINGTON) - Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to the American Red Cross expressing concern over ARC disaster response in Mississippi. Letter to American Red Cross ProPublica article 2015 GAO report on Red Cross oversight # # # Media contact: Adam Comis at (202) … Continue Reading
May 12, 2016
West Texas Investigation Highlights Vulnerability of Critical Infrastructure
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Cedric L. Richmond (D-LA), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies, sent a letter to Thomas E. Brandon, Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on the April 2013 West Fertilizer Facility fire and explosion in West, Texas. The ATF announced yesterday that their investigation … Continue Reading
April 29, 2016
FBI Shared Responsibility Committees Must Pass Privacy Test
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter David Medine, Chairman of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) regarding the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) ongoing and expansion of countering violent extremism (CVE) activities, specifically related to "Shared Responsibility Committees" (SRCs). Congressman Thompson previously wrote the Department of Justice about the need for continuous … Continue Reading
April 22, 2016
TSA Must Address Airport Security Checkpoint Delays
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, released a letter sent to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator Peter Neffenger on the increase in security checkpoint wait times that travelers are facing at many airports. Link to Letter # # # Media contact: Adam Comis at (202) … Continue Reading
March 11, 2016
Reps. Inquire on Campaign Event Security
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to ask for details on how the Department of Homeland Security maintains situational awareness at widely-attended presidential campaign events, some of which have had numerous incidents of violence. In the letter, … Continue Reading
January 13, 2016
Homeland Dems Inquire on ICE Raids Targeting Families
(WASHINGTON) - Today, the twelve Democrats of the House Committee on Homeland Security, led by Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson expressing concern about the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations targeting families from Central America. In the letter, the members write: "Given the Department's limited budgetary resources and the increased interest among Americans in … Continue Reading
November 05, 2015
Thompson Inquires on FBI Extremism Website
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch expressing concern regarding news reports that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has expanded its Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) efforts into America’s classrooms by drafting a website for educators and students to use as a guide to spot radicalization. According to reports, plans for the website have been temporarily … Continue Reading
October 13, 2015
Members of House Homeland Security Panels Reject Plan to Divert Border Security Funding
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Democratic Members of the House Committee on Homeland Security, led by Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), and the Homeland Security Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, led by Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), sent a letter to the House Committee on Ways and Means voicing opposition to language in the Senate-approved highway bill (H.R. 22) that would divert customs revenue away from border security needs to fund future highway … Continue Reading
September 30, 2015
Cultural Problems Continue to Plague Secret Service
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent the below letter to the Director the U.S. Secret Service in response to a Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG) memorandum out today on an investigation into improper access of records by Secret Service Employees. In the letter, Congressman Thompson states: “This matter is about much more than the embarrassment to the individual targeted by … Continue Reading
June 24, 2015
Thompson Calls for Hearing on Domestic Terrorism
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), Chairman of the Committee, asking him to convene hearings on domestic terrorism in the wake of the June 17 attack on the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina. This year, the Committee has held three hearings on the radicalization threat from foreign terror groups, but none on the domestic terrorism threat. In the … Continue Reading
February 13, 2015
Homeland Leaders Question President on New Cyber Threat Integration Center
(WASHINGTON) - Today, the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House Committee on Homeland Security and Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee sent a letter to President Obama inquiring about the new proposal to establish a new cyber information sharing hub, the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC), and its relationship with the Department of Homeland Security's 24/7 cyber situational awareness center, the National Cybersecurity and Communications … Continue Reading
December 25, 2014
Thompson Questions TSA About Gun Running Operation
(WASHINGTON) - Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), John S. Pistole, to inquire about how a Delta Airlines employee was able to smuggle more than 100 firearms and ammunition on flights between Atlanta and New York City. A link to the letter is below. Congressman Thompson released the following statement regarding the incident: "It is unacceptable for any … Continue Reading