Panel rejects proposal to scan all U.S.-bound shipping containers

Republicans on the House Homeland Security Economic Security Subcommittee on Thursday rejected a proposal from Democrats that would have required all cargo containers headed for the United States to have tamper-resistant seals and be scanned for illicit materials.

The proposal, offered as an amendment to the Security and Accountability for Every Port bill, was defeated on an 8-6 party-line vote before the subcommittee passed the bill by unanimous voice vote. The defeated amendment would have required the Homeland Security Department to issue new regulations within three years requiring all containers to have hardened seals and be scanned before leaving a foreign port.

"This is something that's too important to allow industry to reject," said Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., who made the proposal. "This just keeps going back to the Republican majority and their slogan: in industry we trust."

Homeland Security Economic Security Subcommittee Chairman Dan Lungren, R-Calif., led opposition to the amendment, saying the requirement for scanning all containers is not technically feasible or logical. He said Homeland Security Department officials should scan all high-risk cargo, not every container.

Despite the partisan split, the panel's Republicans and Democrats approved another proposal that would require Homeland Security to create a program to test and deploy next-generation radiation portal monitors at U.S. seaports that have a high volume of containerized cargo. Concerns over cargo security heightened in Congress after news broke last month that a Dubai-owned company sought to manage terminal operations at major U.S. ports.

The SAFE Port bill would provide about $800 million a year to beef up the nation's maritime security programs, and require the Homeland Security Department to establish a strategic plan to quickly resume maritime commerce if there was an attack. Lungren said he has a commitment from GOP leaders to move the bill through the House quickly.

"We are not wasting any time making this law," he said. House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King, R.-N.Y., said he plans to hold a hearing on the bill next week, followed by a full committee markup April 24.

A similar measure known as the Greenlane Maritime Cargo Security Act is moving through the Senate. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee plans a hearing on that bill Wednesday.