John Kerry: Fewer Speeches, More Action Needed on Port Security

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John Kerry: Fewer Speeches, More Action Needed on Port Security

Senator John Kerry made the following statement today on port security:

“The president is in Baltimore today talking about port security but as the cameras roll, his own Department of Homeland Security has three times missed the deadline for completing a national blueprint to prevent terrorist attacks at ports. Nearly four years and countless warnings later, that work isn’t done. That’s absolutely inexcusable. How can they argue with a straight face they’re doing all they can to protect our ports when we don’t even have basic plans in place?

“The Administration has been asleep at the switch while shipload after shipload of cargo goes uninspected. The Department of Homeland Security’s own Inspector General said that only a fraction of the money awarded for port security grants has actually been spent, and much of what has been spent has been badly mismanaged. For crying out loud, more has been spent on the Capitol Visitors Center than on the Port Security Grant Program.

“Speeches aren’t going to cut it. This is going to take real action and real follow-through. We have to fix this mess right away, and hold the administration accountable for getting this right.”

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