Bush sees London attacks as reason for Patriot Act
By Bill Sammonand Audrey Hudson
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
July
21, 2005
President Bush yesterday invoked the terrorist attacks in London as a
compelling reason for Congress to renew the USA Patriot Act and for local
governments to beef up security on mass-transit systems.
"As we saw in London, the terrorists are still
active and they are still plotting to take innocent life," Mr. Bush told
law-enforcement officers in Baltimore. "So my message to the Congress is clear:
This is no time to let our guard down, and no time to roll back good laws."
It was the first time the president cited the July 7
London attacks, which killed at least 56 persons in the British capital's subway
and bus systems, to bolster support for renewal of the Patriot Act. The U.S.
House is scheduled to vote on the measure this week.
"The Patriot Act is expected to expire, but the
terrorist threats will not expire," he said. "I expect, and the American people
expect, the United States Congress and the United States Senate to renew the
Patriot Act."
The London attacks also have prompted
a re-evaluation of mass-transit security by Homeland Security Secretary Michael
Chertoff.
"He took a look at the situation and said,
'Let's enhance our security and infrastructure points,'?" Mr. Bush said. "We're
widening the use of explosive detection teams and nearly doubling the number of
rail security inspectors."
The president also
defended Mr. Chertoff's assertion to the Associated Press last week that local
communities are responsible for protecting transit systems. City officials in
San Francisco and Chicago professed shock that the federal government was not
assuming that responsibility.
"Those who are going
to be responsible for responding to an attack are at the local level," Mr. Bush
said. "I think that makes sense to say to a mayor, 'If you've got a problem with
your mass transit, here's a grant, and if you feel that's the best use of the
money, use it there.'?"
Although the federal
government has provided $14 billion since September 11 to train and equip local
emergency workers to respond to terrorist attacks, city leaders and some members
of Congress insist that job should be handled at the federal level.
"Michael Chertoff is a very smart guy, but I
couldn't disagree more," said New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, demanded
that Mr. Chertoff apologize for putting the onus on local communities.
Mr. Chertoff said he does not want to load the
nation's buses and trains with federal police. He emphasized that the federal
government is moving to a risk-based management approach to focus limited
federal dollars on the biggest targets. "A fully loaded airplane with jet fuel,
a commercial airliner, has the capacity to kill 3,000 people," Mr. Chertoff
said. "A bomb in a subway car may kill 30 people.
"When you start to think about your priorities,
you're going to think about making sure you don't have a catastrophic thing
first."
The Bush administration views the federal
government's primary role as the source of funding for local officials.
The federal government has been paying for New
York's mass-transit protection since September 11, 2001, and the Homeland
Security Department has provided an additional $2 million per week for transit
safety in the wake of the London bombings. The state of New York has received
nearly $300 million in grants for terrorism prevention programs, medical
response and emergency management since 2002.
California has received more than $280 million for
protective equipment and training for first responders. Illinois has received
more than $100 million in grants issued from 2002 to 2004.
"We've increased federal homeland security funding
by more than tenfold for firefighters and police officers and other responders,"
Mr. Bush said. "I mean, if we're asking you to be on the front line, we ought to
help you."
