Two senators have sent a letter to White House Chief of
Staff Andrew H. Card, Jr., calling on the Administration
to step up efforts to meet reporting and implementation
deadlines specified in the National Intelligence Reform
and Terrorist Prevention Act of 2004.
Chairman of the Homeland Security and Government Reform
Committee, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and ranking member
Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., cited “missed implementation
deadlines,” as a “troubling sign” given the passed June
15 deadline and the prospect of further delays in
subsequent months.
The senators complained that the administration’s decision
to place the manager of the developing “information
sharing environment” program in the office of the
director of national intelligence rather than
establishing the ISE manager as a government-wide
position “could undermine the initiative,” according
to a statement issued by the committee.
It said that deadlines were missed for reports, plans
and-or actions relating to a National Strategy for
Transportation Security — which the Department of
Homeland Security has stated it will require longer to
complete — streamlining the federal security clearance
process, several port security strategic plans,
aviation security staffing standards, a baggage
screening cost sharing plan, and three reports on
diplomatic initiatives to root out terrorists.
Further, while the administration has nominated or
appointed five members to the Privacy and Civil
Liberties Oversight Board, the senators wrote to
“urge speedier implementation of an effective” board,
and said they “remain concerned about the insufficient
budget request” for that board and asked the
administration for a response on that issue.
