Napolitano: DHS likely to miss cargo scanning deadline

In her first hearing before Congress since being confirmed, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano today pledged to make progress in addressing the significant challenges facing the department. But she acknowledged her department is unlikely to meet a 2012 deadline for scanning all U.S.-bound cargo containers in foreign seaports.

"To do 100 percent scanning requires lots of agreements" with other countries, Napolitano said in response to a question from Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., who said the Bush administration did not push hard enough to meet a deadline it said was not doable. She noted there are many differences between scanning and screening -- which does not require a physical examination of the cargo -- and said "we're close to 100 percent screening."

But, she added, "my initial review is that the 2012 deadline [for scanning] won't be reached under the current state of the program." Republicans had opposed such a deadline, and a minority committee aide disputed DeFazio's claim that the Bush administration did not work hard enough to meet the 2012 deadline.

Napolitano was asked about whether the department will meet its April 15 deadline for requiring all port workers to obtain Transportation Worker Identification Cards. She said the TWIC program has been implemented at most ports. She said about 1.1 million workers must obtain the cards, a number others say is higher. Only 650,000 workers out of the 1 million who have applied have the cards as of mid-February, according to a panel aide. Napolitano said it is an issue she is discussing daily with her staff to ensure that as many workers as possible meet the deadline.

Other questions to Napolitano dealt with whether she believes the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be moved out of the department, as some lawmakers have suggested. Several committee members said they oppose such a move. Napolitano said she has not discussed the issue with President Obama yet but observed that if FEMA is doing well in its job of preparing and responding to disasters and has good leadership and management, "where it fits into the organizational chart becomes less of an issue."

A Homeland Security inspector general report released last week said moving the agency out of Homeland Security would cause "considerable upheaval" and weaken the agency.

While pledging to work with Napolitano to improve the department, Homeland Security Committee ranking member Peter King and other Republicans raised concerns about whether the administration and the department will place enough emphasis on combating terrorism. Noting that the word "terrorism" was not used in her testimony, King said it is "important for us to have people in positions of leadership to remind people how real that threat is." Napolitano stressed in her opening testimony that protecting the nation's citizens, its land and its property would be the department's primary focus.