McCaul Highlights Dangers of DHS Shutdown Ahead of FIFA World Cup, America250

WASHINGTON - Today, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Emeritus Michael McCaul (R-Texas) participated in a full committee hearing titled, "Funding Lapse and Security Gaps: Assessing the Harmful Impacts of the DHS Shutdown on Americans." As chairman of the committee's Task Force on Securing the Homeland Amidst Special Events, McCaul questioned witnesses about the danger of Democrats' ongoing DHS shutdown ahead of the FIFA World Cup and America250 celebrations.

McCaul directed his questions to Ha Nguyen McNeill, senior official performing the duties of the administrator of TSA; Nicholas Andersen, acting director of CISA; and Victoria Barton, associate administrator for the Office of External Affairs at FEMA.

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Full Exchange:

McCaul:Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We're here today because, at a time when our nation is facing heightened threats, Democrats have shut down the Department of Homeland Security. DHS was created in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks to protect and secure the homeland. Shutting it down is national security malpractice, and it's shameful. We've already seen four ISIS-inspired attacks on our homeland in recent weeks, including one in my hometown of Austin, where three innocent people were killed at the hands of a terrorist. And this week, the Iranian regime said it plans to attack parks, recreational areas, and tourist sites around the world. America250 celebrations will be held at all those sites.

The shutdown must end. And I was disappointed to hear Senate Democrats rejected yet another good faith offer from Republicans that contained many of their requests. Hopefully this will change soon. But in the meantime, our nation is on red alert. The Biden administration's open border policy allowed more than 700 Iranian nationals and 18,000 known or suspected terrorists to enter our country, posing a serious national security threat. We need a functioning Department of Homeland Security to counter the threat of sleeper cells in this nation.

The shutdown is also wreaking havoc at TSA lines at our airports, and we see this every day on the television. The problem runs deeper than just travel disruption. For decades, aviation threats have been the crown jewel of terrorists from Al Qaeda to ISIS and its affiliates. Since the shutdown, TSA employees have been forced to work without pay. Four hundred officers have quit their jobs, constraining the agency's ability to protect the traveling public.

This is alarming especially as we approach the FIFA World Cup and America250. In just three months, our nation will host millions of visitors who will travel throughout our airports. And as the chairman of this committee's special events task force, I am laser focused on protecting our homeland during these events.

Let's focus not only on the physical threat, but the cyber threat as well. When I chaired this committee, I created the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to defend against cyber attacks. We heard the chairman talk about the threat from Iran. Reports say fewer than half of CISA's employees are currently working, disrupting our ability to deter and mitigate threats to our critical infrastructure.

Lastly, I know that many FEMA grants are not being disbursed because of the shutdown. I helped secure the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. These provide security to houses of worship, which are coming under attack far too often. Just a couple weeks ago, an ISIS-inspired terrorist watched the Temple Israel Synagogue in Michigan and then attacked them in a terrorist attack. We need these grants out now.

I am hopeful that we will also reauthorize the DHS mission to counter weapons of mass destruction, [as that office] remains not authorized today and I think poses a serious threat.

In the remainder of time that I have, there are so many issues to cover, but I want to talk about TSA, CISA, and these grants. To TSA, you know, you have the operations center that I've been to many times that monitors traffic across the world globally and aviation threats globally. Can you tell me what impact the shutdown is having on that? And Mr. Andersen, if you could tell me about CISA, without these employees not being able to connect the dots and share it with the private sector, what impact that is having? And Ms. Barton, can you tell me about the lack of funding to protect particularly Jewish synagogues across this nation as we know the Iran threat is real inside the United States and our homeland?

McNeill:Thank you, Congressman. Our operations center is up and running and we're doing everything that we can during this time to maintain a strong security posture, especially during this heightened threat environment. Our officers are doing a tremendous job showing up every day at work and screening the traveling public to make sure that they're making it to their destination safely. But I will say it is a real human toll to wake up and show up to work every day not knowing how you're going to pay your bills. And so I am, of course, concerned about the workforce, and the longer this shutdown goes on and more missed paychecks, we are really putting ourselves and our workforce in a perilous situation.

Andersen:You're correct, sir. Being able to connect the dots with the private sector, a lot of it is based on the expertise and the relationships that a lot of these employees have that have served for such a long time at CISA, since this committee helped bring it into existence. That's all the more difficult when we have those same employees that we're relying on their expertise and those relationships - and to Ms. McNeil's point - they're having to choose between being able to support their families and continuing to support the mission of securing our nation's critical infrastructure.

Barton:For the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, at this time, we are stalled because the staff that's processing and supposed to work on those grants has been impacted by the shutdown. And those funds are critical to get out for many of the nonprofits and houses of worship that receive and use those funds for security.

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