As the deadline for the second Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) approaches at the end of this year, much attention is being given to the record of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and what the department’s proper role should be. Ultimately, the strategy cannot simply be to maintain the status quo, continuing down the same path for the next 10 years…

Just days after concluding the fiscal cliff debacle, Congress is about to embark on another spending spree—this time exploiting loopholes in the budget process to pile on new so-called emergency spending. The House on Friday will consider the first installment of a bloated $60 billion measure ostensibly aimed at providing relief for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. Most of…

The Obama Administration has requested $60.4 billion for the response and recovery related to Hurricane Sandy.[1] This enormous request vividly illustrates the problems with the federal government’s and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) current approach to natural disasters. It also demonstrates the profligate spending approach taken by the Obama…

Some East Coast politicians seem to view Hurricane Sandy and the federal money for the recovery effort as some sort of lottery that they have hit. This mentality is best summed up in a Bloomberg News headline: “Sandy Seen as Stimulus, Thanks to Rebuilding.”[1] This view is grossly mistaken. Nonetheless, this episode provides an opportunity to teach America’s…

Over the last decade, the domestic counterterrorism enterprise in the United States has added a significant amount of much-needed capacity. From the expansion of Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) by the FBI to the development of intelligence fusion centers by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the resources now dedicated to gathering information, analyzing…

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) just announced the final allocations for the 2012 homeland security grants. Since 9/11, Congress has allocated over $40 billion in funds to states and localities. The majority of this funding came from DHS, but funding also came from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),…

Although both Arizona and the United States prevailed in different parts of the Supreme Court’s immigration ruling this week, the Obama Administration’s immediate response seems like a childish slap in the face of the Supreme Court, Arizona, and any other state that might challenge its authority. Justice Antonin Scalia noted in his dissenting opinion, which would…

On June 7, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5855, the 2013 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Appropriation legislation. A key element of the 2013 appropriation bill is the significantly increased appropriation for the Section 287(g) program from $5.4 million in 2012 to over $68 million in 2013. With the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on Arizona’s…

It is one thing for government entities to dismiss the criticisms from outside groups. It is quite altogether something else to dismiss the criticisms of government-empowered investigators who have access to the closely held data. Based on its reaction to an audit by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (OIG), the leadership at the…

With an increase in the national response to terrorism, many people believe the principle of federalism has little utility today or that states do not have much to contribute in counterterrorism policy or activity. When it comes to domestic security, however, federalism is more relevant than ever, and the states have a vital role to play in counterterrorism. Local law…