(Washington, D.C.) – In response to the report issued today by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, Citizens Against Government Waste President Tom Schatz issued the following statement:

“The 9/11 Commission cites operational failures related to the terrorist attacks throughout Washington, from bureaucratic infighting to inadequate oversight on Capitol Hill.  These perennial problems have in the past led to the abuse and mismanagement of our tax dollars, but now the consequences of failing to change Washington’s wasteful ways are a matter of life and death.

“While reorganization of congressional committees cannot guarantee that terrorists will be unable to successfully execute another attack on American soil, it will provide greater accountability and more effective use of the public’s money.  Unfortunately, even as the ink dries on the 9/11 Commission’s report, committee chairmen are scrambling to protect their turf.

“The commission recommended establishing a permanent committee on homeland security with exclusive jurisdiction over domestic security, in addition to a joint House-Senate Intelligence Committee that would be responsible for both authorizations and appropriations.  Already, lawmakers are lining up to protect their self-interest, instead of selflessly embracing the commission’s reasonable recommendations.

“That is no surprise, given the experience to date with the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, where members who are also committee chairmen have undermined several proposals by Select Committee Chairman Chris Cox (R-Calif.) to revise the formula for distribution of homeland security funds.  This is just one reason why the 9/11 Commission proposed a single committee with jurisdiction over all homeland security funding.  Certainly the former members of Congress on the commission know full well that the dysfunctional committee system inhibits oversight and effective allocation of tax dollars.

“The failure to focus on intelligence is exemplified by the abundance of pork being added to the appropriations process.  Members have not been too busy to add 10,656 pork-barrel projects to the fiscal 2004 appropriations bills, but they apparently have not had the time to examine whether the nation’s intelligence apparatus is functioning properly.

“As members of both parties start to use the commission’s report for political purposes, it will take true leadership to implement the commission’s reforms.  For the sake of every American, partisanship and pork must take a back seat to protecting the nation.”

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.