Partisan fissures appear over House Homeland Security bill

Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee are steaming over slipped deadlines to mark up the panel's first-ever authorization bill for the Homeland Security Department this year, but Republicans say the bill is on track for a July markup -- with or without Democratic support.

"The calendar is ticking away," a Democratic staffer familiar with negotiations between the majority and minority committee staffs said Tuesday. "Procedurally, we're on life support."

With the looming July 4 break, Democrats are frustrated that Homeland Security Chairman Chris Cox, R-Calif., expressed interest in marking up the bill before the Memorial Day recess, but then rescheduled it for June 22 After the death of former President Ronald Reagan, Cox pushed back his plans again to July.

The Democratic staffer also questioned Cox's strategy on negotiating with other committee chairmen who share jurisdiction over homeland security issues.

"On the one side, [Republicans] say they want to do things that are meaningful, but they are negotiating with committees that don't want them to do anything meaningful," said the Democratic staffer.

Cox and his staff have struck deals with the minority and other panels on provisions to bolster cybersecurity, intelligence gathering and management issues. But Cox has yet to reach agreement with the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on rail, aviation and port security items.

The Democratic staffer's comments followed weeks of public calls by Homeland Security ranking member Jim Turner, D-Texas, and committee Democrats to include more substantive amendments in the authorization measure.

A senior adviser on Cox's panel said his boss is talking with his Republican colleagues to garner support for the bill in case bipartisanship falls by the wayside with Democrats on the panel.

"There are two ways we could pass the bill: We can do it with bipartisan cooperation or with Republicans only," said the adviser. "Chairman Cox has left both avenues open."

Cox has been in a tight position over the authorization measure, seeking input for the measure from those like Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Don Young, R-Alaska, who have expressed contempt for his temporary panel and its legislative efforts, rather than including provisions that cross into their turf and fueling anger over whether the panel becomes permanent next year.

While the panel has missed several soft targets set by Cox for the authorization process, Cox's senior adviser said the committee plans to introduce a bill "very soon," and "everything appears to be a go" to mark up the bill after the July 4 break.

"If we don't mark it up before the August recess, we're very much in jeopardy of dropping off the [legislative] calendar and into oblivion," contended the Democratic staffer.