Panel to review progress on port security
Homeland Security has missed one major deadline under law that would require new ID cards to be issued to workers at 10 busiest seaports by July.
House lawmakers plan hearings this week to examine the Bush administration's strategic plans for securing the nation's infrastructure and countering long-term threats.
The House Homeland Security Committee has scheduled a hearing Thursday to examine if the Homeland Security Department is meeting congressional mandates under the SAFE Port maritime security law enacted a year ago.
The department has missed one major deadline under the law that would require new identification cards to be issued to workers at the 10 busiest seaports by July.
Instead, the department plans to begin issuing the cards at a dozen ports by the end of November.
The department is expected to report on whether technology exists and is practical to scan all cargo containers at foreign ports before they are shipped to the United States.
On Wednesday, the House Oversight and Government Reform National Security Subcommittee will hold a hearing to assess long-term threats to the United States, as well as the Bush administration's strategy for security six years after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Also Wednesday, the Homeland Security Emerging Threats Subcommittee will hold a hearing on legislation to improve the government' ability to determine the origin of a nuclear weapon exploded inside the United States.