Mike Rogers leads Republicans in introducing ‘Keep America Secure Act’

United States House Homeland Security Committee Republicans, led by ranking member Congressman Mike Rogers (AL-03), on Friday introduced the Keep America Secure Act, legislation providing a comprehensive two-year reauthorization of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

“After 20 months of Democrat dysfunction and caving to the left-wing of their party, it was clear the Democrats would not be able to build consensus to put forth their own reauthorization package,” explained Rogers in a statement.

“I’m proud of the collective effort of my Republican colleagues to put together a bill that positions the Department to best combat new and emerging threats to our country,” he continued. “We owe it to the folks who work day-in and day-out to protect our homeland to pass a comprehensive reauthorization that provides them with the authorities and resources they need to effectively do their jobs.”

Highlights of the bill reportedly include the following:

• Topline: The bill includes a comprehensive two-year authorization of all DHS activities, providing $59 billion for FY2021 and $60 billion for FY2022.
• COVID-19 Response: Protects the health of critical frontline employees and ensures DHS can effectively carry out its vital mission during this pandemic.
• Chinese Espionage: Protects American research and innovation by establishing new vetting tools and enforcement mechanisms to halt the entry of foreign spies.
• Border Security: Enhances border security by providing critical resources and authorities to increase manpower, improve border barriers, and modernize ports of entry.
• Cybersecurity: Improves the nation’s cybersecurity capacity by authorizing new approaches to enhance workforce development and retention at DHS and providing grants and other resources to state and local partners.
• Transportation Security: Ensures TSA has access to the funding it needs to carry out its mission, improves existing security programs, and reforms the security screening process to increase checkpoint efficiency and alleviate passenger stress.
• Emergency Preparedness: Reauthorizes FEMA for the first time in 14 years and provides increased funding for critical state and local terrorism preparedness grants and other programs.
• Intelligence: Reforms the DHS intelligence enterprise and focuses it on emerging threats and improved information collection, analysis and dissemination.
• Departmental Management: Reforms the operations and structure of DHS to promote unity of effort, improve employee morale, and ensure accountability and oversight of taxpayer dollars.

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Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn