Correspondence
Thompson Requests More Info on Maritime Cargo Screening
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano asking for more details on maritime cargo security efforts and the state of the 100 cargo screening mandate set in law by the "Implementing the Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007." This request comes following today's hearing on "Understanding the Homeland Threat Landscape". Link to Letter # # # … Continue Reading
April 23, 2012
CISPA Needs Privacy Safeguards
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and other Democratic House members sent a letter to Reps. Mike J. Rogers (R-MI) and C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, regarding privacy concerns in H.R. 3523, the "Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011" (CISPA), set to be considered by the House of Representatives later this week. The … Continue Reading
March 26, 2012
Thompson, Jackson-Lee Request GAO Audit of Full-Body Scanners
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Ranking Member of the Committee's Transportation Security Subcommittee, sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to request a review of the deployment of Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). While the Department of Homeland Security has spent at least $1 billion on AIT since 2009, … Continue Reading
January 24, 2012
Thompson Inquiries on 2012 DHS Grant Funding Allocations
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano requesting information on how the Department will allocate the $1.12 billion Congress appropriated for twelve State and local grant programs in H.R. 2055, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012. This Act, signed by the President on December 23, 2011, reduced funding for these State and local homeland security grant programs by 43 … Continue Reading
January 24, 2012
Thompson, King Press Speaker on Homeland Jurisdiction
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Reps. Peter T. King and Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to John A. Boehner, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, calling on him to consolidate jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security in Congress. Last week, President Obama lamented the inefficiency of congressional oversight of DHS—where DHS has to answer to over 100 committees and subcommittees. Consolidation of … Continue Reading
December 13, 2011
Comment for Small Business Size and Status Rule
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to Karen G. Mills, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), with comments for a proposed rule entitled "Small Business Size and Status Integrity". The rule proposed regulations for the manner in which the SBA will address business size and status misrepresentations as instructed by the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010. Ranking Member Thompson has been … Continue Reading
December 01, 2011
Geographic Diversity Needed at Coast Guard Academy
(WASHINGTON) - Today, U.S. Reps. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-TN), Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), and Resident Commissioner Pedro R. Pierluisi (D-PR) sent a letter to Admiral Robert J. Papp, Commandant of the United States Coast Guard (USCG), expressing concerns regarding the geographic diversity of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy - many states, for example, are not represented in this year's class. The letter similarly urges the adoption of a congressional nominations … Continue Reading
November 22, 2011
Thompson Inquires on Racial Profiling
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to John S. Pistole, Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), regarding recent news reports that Behavior Detection Officers (BDOs) who work in the agency's Screening of Passengers by Observation Technique (SPOT) program were targeting Mexican travelers at Honolulu Airport. This is similar to news reports that originated from Newark New Jersey … Continue Reading
November 21, 2011
Thompson, Richmond: Action Needed on Recoupment Letters
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Cedric L. Richmond (D-LA), Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to W. Craig Fugate, Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), regarding efforts to recoup disaster payments from individuals who erroneously received financial assistance after Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. The Democratic Congressmen believe that, years after … Continue Reading
November 15, 2011
TSA Should Extend Upcoming TWIC Renewals
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and other Democratic Members of the Committee, sent a letter to John S. Pistole, Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), requesting an extension for transportation and port workers to renew their Transportation Worker Identification Credentials (TWIC). To date, the Department of Homeland Security has not fully implemented the TWIC program as mandated in the … Continue Reading
November 01, 2011
Reps. Thompson, Markey, Jackson-Lee Query TSA on Missed Deadline for Screening Cargo on U.S.-Bound Passenger Planes
(WASHINGTON) - It has been a year since international cooperation helped thwart an attempt to detonate a toner cartridge bomb on a cargo plane from Yemen to the United States. Despite the ongoing significant risk that unscreened cargo poses to America's aviation system, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced it will miss a December deadline for screening 100 percent of all cargo transported from overseas into the United States. A Congressional provision passed in 2007 … Continue Reading
October 13, 2011
Thompson Writes Deficit Committee on Deficit Reduction, Creating Jobs and Enhancing Security
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter, in conjunction with other Democratic House of Representatives Committee Ranking Members, to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction regarding suggestions for job creation, revenue, and savings. In the letter, Congressman Thompson recommends balanced deficit reduction that does not affect the nation's security and recommends infrastructure projects which can … Continue Reading
September 22, 2011
Cybersecurity Proposals Should Go Through Regular Committee Process
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY), Ranking Member of the Committee's Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies, sent a letter to John A. Boehner, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, requesting that all proposals put forth by Republican House Cybersecurity Task Force be put through the regular order legislative process and through the … Continue Reading
September 09, 2011
Thompson Requests Hearings on American Jobs Act
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to Rep. Peter T. King (R-NY), Chairman of the Committee, to request hearings on the President's legislative proposals for job creation and how the Department of Homeland Security may be affected. Link to Letter # # # Media Contact: Adam Comis at (202) … Continue Reading
September 08, 2011
Homeland Security Jurisdiction Must Be Consolidated
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to Hon. John A. Boehner, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, regarding the urgent need for consolidation of legislative and oversight jurisdiction over homeland security matters. This was a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission and has yet to be addressed. Link to Letter (PDF) # # # Media Contact: Adam Comis at (202) … Continue Reading
September 02, 2011
Rep. Richmond and Others Write Speaker on Disaster Relief Funding
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA), member of the Committee on Homeland Security, along with Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and other members of Congress and the Committee, sent a letter to Rep. John A. Boehner, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Rep. Eric Cantor, Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, calling on them "to assure the American people that the federal government remains a committed partner … Continue Reading
August 15, 2011
TSA 'Chat-Downs' Need Proper Validation
(WASHINGTON) - Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to John S. Pistole, Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), expressing concern regarding the Behavior Detection Officer pilot program at Boston Logan International Airport. Behavior Detection Officers (BDO) are currently being trained and will be deployed to "interview" 100% of passengers moving through checkpoint security screening. This pilot program, … Continue Reading
July 15, 2011
Thompson Inquires on CFATS Risk Assessment Errors
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to Rand Beers, Under Secretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), U.S. Department of Homeland Security regarding errors in risk-tiering under the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program. LETTER # # # Media Contact: Adam Comis at (202) … Continue Reading
June 21, 2011
Thompson Inquires on TSA Report Exposing Racial Profiling at Airports
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to John S. Pistole, Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), expressing concern regarding the Screening of Passengers by Observation Technique (SPOT) program, a behavior-based profiling program in use at several U.S. airports. Recent news reports have indicated that an internal TSA report shows the program was associated with racial profiling in … Continue Reading
May 24, 2011
Homeland Dems Request Hearings to Address Grant Cuts
(WASHINGTON) - Today, the Democratic members of the Committee on Homeland Security, led by Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), sent a letter to Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter T. King (R-NY) to request a series of oversight field hearings to examine the cuts to homeland security grant programs for fiscal years 2011 and 2012 and the preparedness and response gaps that are likely to result. This fiscal year, nearly every homeland security preparedness grant program has been … Continue Reading