Murray Named to New Homeland Security Appropriations Panel

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Sen. Patty Murray has been named to the new Homeland Security Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, putting her in a key position to deliver needed resources to protect Washington State. The newly-formed panel will oversee spending for a number of agencies formerly under the jurisdiction of other appropriations subcommittees.

For example, the Coast Guard’s budget, which had been written by Murray’s Transportation subcommittee, has been moved into the Homeland Security subcommittee, along with TSA, INS, Customs, and others.

Murray has been the state’s most effective leader in securing federal resources for homeland security.

In the last two years, Murray has secured 5 new Coast Guard vessels and crews to beef up patrols in the Puget Sound. Murray is also responsible for bringing the first Coast Guard anti-terror “SWAT Team” to Seattle to provide rapid interdiction of maritime threats.

Murray developed and secured nearly $60 million in funding for “Operation Safe Commerce,” a pilot project at the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma and two other ports, to improve container security.

She has also been a long-time advocate for increasing resources to the Northern Border and helped provide funding to significantly increase the numbers of INS and Customs agents on the Northern Border.

“Homeland Security is vitally important to Washington state,” said Murray. “From the Northern Border to the ports along the Columbia River, and from the Hanford nuclear reservation to the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma, all of Washington has a stake in how we address homeland security,” Murray said.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to continue to improve Washington state’s safety and security through this new position,” Murray continued. “This important subcommittee assignment will allow me to continue to secure the resources needed to protect our ports, borders, infrastructure, and coastline.”

The new Subcommittee on Homeland Security will oversee the following programs or agencies: TSA, Coast Guard, Customs, Secret Service, FEMA, Federal Protective Service, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, INS, First Responder programs, National Infrastructure Protection, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service and Plum Island, National Communications System and Bio-Weapons Defense Center, various energy and nuclear programs, Metro Medical Response, Office of Emergency Preparedness, National Stockpile, and the National Disaster Medical System.