in the case of the department of homeland security it's many missions. is why it's crucial that the department of homeland security have the senate confirm qualified leadership at its helm. after years and multiple administrations leading key senate-confirmed posts vacant or held on an acting capacity for far too long, this department needs qualified leaders now more than ever. it has been without a senate-confirmed deputy, mr. president, for over three years. let me repeat that. this vital agency has been without a senate-confirmed deputy secretary for more than three years. that has to change. confirmation of colonel john ten to serve, this body -- john tien, this body can do something about it and do something about it. the responsibilities of the deputy secretary are daunting. responsible for the day-to-day business of the agency and the management of its operations and 250,000 men and women. colonel tien is a proven leader and dedicated public servant. he's a retired u.s. army colonel. his 24-year career includes three combat tours in iraq, national

determined is amount of experience in this realm not only because of my service in the department of homeland security, butye my 12 years of service in the department of justice as a federal prosecutor investigating andin prosecuting criminals for nine years on the front lines in the trenches in the federal court room as well as serving as a united states attorney for three years. i'm very well aware of what is needed to deliver for the american public and public safety that we all deserve and to which we aspire. >> and i do acknowledge and honor your experience but another quote from this article one of the recent border crossings are effectively no longer subject to arrest once they reach the u.s. interior. two questions, two separate sets of questions. is this true house president biden already abandoned the directive of the recent border crossers to be held to basic immigration laws and then as a follow-up are there are no consequences for illegally crossing the border at this point because frankly, sir it appears the message is that the u.s. has no limits to who can come because the administratio

the department of homeland security is also focused on community-based violence prevention programs in to empower and revamp support to community partners who can help to prevent individuals from ever reaching the point of committing a terrorist attack. the department of defense will train service members on the potential targeting of current and former military members by violent extremists in order to help prevent radicalization. the department of health and human services will work with the departments of education, homeland security, and justice to develop a website that aggregates and publicizes information on federal resources -- including grants, training, and technical assistance -- that can assist state and local authorities and the general public in identifying the resources they need to implement their own counter domestic terrorism programs. and those are just a few examples. we have a track record of successful collaborative approaches to the challenges posed by terrorism -- not just at the federal level, but also with our state, local, tribal, and territorial partners. th

one of the results of the attack of 9/11 was the decision to create a new department of homeland security. can you share a little bit of thinking behind that and has the department met your expectations? >> i already said and i think you might be familiar, madam secretary, that you were one of the occupants running the department over the years but there is a back story and i do tell it in the book. the government wasn't prepared for 9/11. with acts of terrorism around the u.s. and the first world trade center bombing in spite of that our government wasn't prepared and was basically caught flat-footed within a short period. the other one was totally wrong of the weapons of mass destruction and there were no weapons. they voted together on the strategies to make america safer and better and to get the military force in afghanistan but many of us the homeland security committee was formed and i became a member of that as well. but at any rate, there ought to be a dedicated homeland security function at the white house and president bush created one and the former governor of pennsylvania wa

i wanted to be clear that element is for the department of homeland security and not for the justice department. what we do is to adjudicate the asylum claim. >>ly come back to say this, according to the data on the department of justice website, 90%-plus of the people coming here under asylum are found to be invalid claims. and in that circumstances, would you be willing to say that if a person comes here through the asylum process, and it is found their claim is invalid and they will be removed and deported? >> the department of homeland security is responsible for that issue. because of the large numbers that you are talking about, they, i understand, they have a priorities, and first and most important, the people who are a risk to the united states and public safety. i think that and lastly, they are trying to deport recent arrivals in order to send the message that people not come. >> i was with you and secretary mayorkas when we went through this, because i am shocked of what he said, because the number of people coming across is massively up, and the people deported is going d

of staff of the time to president bush 43 basically announced they supported the new department of homeland security and the 88 departments and agencies would be put under one banner and function to protect the homeland and of course there was. president bush 43 supported the new department so there we were on capitol hill and oh my goodness how did this happen and we decided although we had been in favor for smaller functioning white house this was going to get legs because the president supported it and we were better off supporting it than opposing it. over time that became this new department which was a gigantic part of government and there were some along the way. i would say now i don't know if it's two decades yet the two decades and he can do a lot of things that are very useful for the government. people got used to the reorganization and a huge issue with immigration on the borders and a huge issues with cyber and domestic terrorism and all of that sits under the umbrella of the department of homeland security. >> host: the department of homeland security is a behemoth and it's the larges

staff at the time to president bush 43 -- basically announced that they supported a new department of homeland securitythe 88 departments and agencies would put, would be put under one banner and functions combined to protect the homeland. and, of course, this announcement knocked the rowley memo off the front page. and there itrs was. i mean, president bush 43ported a new department -- supported a new department. so there we were on capitol hill saying, oh, my goodness, how did this happen and what do we do. and we decided that although we had been in favor of a smaller function in the white house, this was going to get legs because the president supported it, and we were better off supporting it rather than opposing it because we did want a stronger homeland function. and over time that became this new department which was a gigantic reorganization of government, and there were some kinks along the way. and still are. but i would say now i don't know if it's quite two decades yet, but close enough to two decades in the place is sorting out, and it can do a lot of things that are very useful for the g

efforts of homeland security investigations to secure our homeland from transnational crime and threats and to elaborate on preventing the smuggling and trafficking of children. the department of homeland security, our core mission is to protect the united states from transnational crime and threats. they are a primary focus of hsi's investigations. trafficking, transportation, or fraudulent documents to facilitate an individual's unauthorized entry into a foreign country. human smuggling organizations profit by charging fees for smuggling noncitizens into and throughout the united states and by collecting transit fees when smugglers and their clients travel through territory controlled by cartels or other tcos. these are almost exclusively driven by money, seeing humans as just another commodity. while this may constitute the initial crime facilitating the movement of people including minors to our borders, the criminality does not stop there. in some cases migrants become victims of humans or labor trafficking when criminal networks introduce force, fraud, or coercion to bring victims into forced labor or commercial sex. if the victim is under 18, sex trafficking occurs w

of border security. and that has been a bipartisan position ever since i have worked in the department of homeland security. and i am 20 years in to federal service this month. both as a member of the department of homeland security and as a federal prosecutor. and i remember very clearly and very powerfully my meeting with senator john mccain, and his advocacy to me about the need to focus on technology. that the innovations in modern development serve as the greatest force multiplier and have the greatest impact in ensuring our security. i agreed with him then, and we are executing on that approach now. not at the expense -- >> gentleman's time has expired. the chair recognizes the gentleman from rhode island for five minutes. >> thank you. mr. secretary, thank you for the important work you're doing and i want to recognize the important work of the men and women of the department and keeping the country safe and secure. mr. secretary, i wanted to begin by talking about the ransom ware that is affecting our country as epitomized by the pipe line. as the defense goes, we authorized the creation of a joint

under the department of homeland security. nacted the secure fence act, which would have established defense along 750 miles of the southern border. so, we did take measures in that timeframe, in the 12 years i was in congress, but to your point that has been a problem for decades. previous administrations on the republican side, and the democrat side, have been slow to aggressively enforce the border. it's something that we are still dealing with today. host: greg, republican in new carlisle, ohio. caller: how were you? host: doing well. caller: i believe it is time to talk about impeachment of the biden administration because two migrants went to my best friend's home down in texas and killed the family. now, you do not hear nothing about that. they are covering it up. and i am tired of biden. it's time to renounce. guest: impeachment would be a measure to potentially addresses, but unfortunately what we need to do is put in policies -- put in place policies now that would provide for strengthening the border now. if you look

with that i'm going to now introduce the secretary of the department of homeland security. >> thank you very much, madam vice president. it is a privilege to be with you today. i recommended to the vice president that we visit el paso because it is one of the busiest sections on the border. it demonstrates the progress that has been made and the work that remains. in march -- unaccompanied children, stayed in border patrol stations more more than 120 hours. we saw too many children in a border patrol facility not designed for them. it is my responsibility as the secretary of homeland security. today the situation is dramatically different. the border patrol station not overcrowded. the children spent an average of less than 30 hours in it. board surge has been a challenge for years and years. to address the challenge successfully requires a multipart plan. we have a plan. the vice president is leading our nation's effort to tackle the root causes of migration, why people leave their homes in the first place. i and my colleagues in the cabinet have been directed to execute the rest of th

and with that i'm going to now introduce the secretary of the department of homeland security , ali mayorkas. >> thank you very much madame vice president . it's a privilege to be with you today. i recommended to the vice president that we visit el paso because it is one of the biggest sections of the border. el paso reflect the many diverseelements of our mission . it demonstrates also the progress that has been made and the work that remains area in march this sector experienced overcrowding and unaccompanied children at the border control stations or more than an average of 120 hours. we saw too many children in a border patrol facility not designed for them. before too long. the president and vice president directed me and the execution of my responsibilities as the secretary of homeland security to take care of it. today, the situation is dramatically different. the border patrol station is not overcrowded. with children and unaccompanied average of less than 30 hours in it. the border searches have been a challenge for years and years. and to address the challenges successfully require

undersea cable issue, they rely on a policy decision at the end of the day and they rely on state department, department of homeland security, treasury department and providing recommendation on these cables and as david indicated the trump administration took a very proactive view about the threat of chinese noncontrol in these cables but it is a policy decision, were gonna have to take a look at the biden of administration and what view do they take on this as well is a stronger hardening view or will they sit back and be influenced by some of the service providers at the end of the day because it makes business sense to them. >> i would note telecom is an important institution in this way for advising the fcc on national security issues and it was through the team telecom process that you saw the first denial on the license application to the specific cable about one year ago in 2020. an additional piece of the regulatory regime that is emerging was initially teed up in the trouble administration and has been taken forward by the biden of administration is the icy ts process, this is about the information and communicati

but, that is what 240,000 colleagues in the department of homeland security do every day. they are dedicated -- their dedicated efforts to keep our communities safe and secure. the resources afforded by congress help ensure we can effectively meet our mission and recruit andrew -- and retain our nation's most talented professionals. the president's proposed budget will invest in a broad mission set, including preventing terrorism, securing and managing our borders, repairing the broken immigration system, safeguarding cyber and critical infrastructure, and strengthening national preparedness and resilience. it will provide dhs with the resources we need to keep our country safe, strong, and prosperous. while i am unable to address specific details of the president's budget, until it is officially released later this week, i welcome this opportunity to discuss several key agency priorities for fiscal year 2022. this request includes approximately 1.2 billion dollars for border infrastructure improvements, to fund modernization of our ports of entry and border security techno

place many provisions that strengthen, at that time, what was i and as and 2006 and the department of homeland security created where we consolidated the immigration customs under the department of homeland securitynt and in 2006e enacted the defense act which would have established i think about 7150 miles of the southern border so we did take measures in that 12 years i was in congress but it has been a problem for decades, previous administrations on the reportn inside and democrat side have been slow to aggressively enforce the border and it's something we are still dealing with today. >> greg, ohio, republican. >> good morning. >> you're on with john. >> talking about impeachment, the biden administration because my best friends home down in texas, they killed the family. you don't hear nothing about that they are covering it up and i'm tired of fighting -- >> impeachment would be a measure to potentially address this but unfortunately, what we need to do is put a policy in place now that will provide for the border now. if you look at the makeup of congress at this time, it's highly unlikely even

i think the department of homeland security and the department of justice, which are the two principal departments for this purpose, are very well latched up now. we have joint task forces along this whole area. and the national security council has engaged both of us in the involvement in the assessment of the domestic violent extremist threat. so there will always be problems, but i'm reasonably confident that we won't have a problem like that again. now, with respect to the capitol police and our relationship with them, to be honest, i don't know enough to know about that. this has certainly raised that issue. and i will go back again and speak with the fbi director on exactly how that's been done. but i think there's no excuse at this point for that kind of clear connection not to be made. >> do you know how many people have been arrested to date? >> do i know how many? >> do you have a figure on that? >> like off the top of my head within some margin of error, it's about 456, something like that. >> and -- >> there will be more. i was about to say many, i don't want to say that. w

the planning and timing was done in coordination with them and her office and her work, department of homeland security and department of health and human services to address the root causes. [indiscernible] >> this is a continuation of his efforts to elevate this issue as he did last week when he marked juneteenth and in tulsa, oklahoma a few weeks before that. we will have more. what you should expect to hear from him is that there are many ways to work across the country with activists, with states and legislators using every lever to improve access to voting and talk about some of the ways he wants to continue to do that. and everybody who supports democracy and equality and supports justice should be supporting improvements. [indiscernible] >> that certainly is the goal, of course. but i would say, what the president has watched closely is there has been an increase in violent crime. gun violence in a lot of communities over the last 18 months. he has taken a number of steps over the last couple of months worked to address that. and part of that is empowering local police communities and making su

i have worked at the department of homeland security and i am 20 years in to the federal service this month. both as a member of the department of clement security and a federal prosecutor. i remember very clearly and powerfully my meeting with senator john mccain and his advocacy to me about the need to focus on technology that the innovations -- technology, the innovations in modern development serve as the greatest multiplier and had the greatest impact in ensuring our security. we are executing on that approach now. . >> the gentleman's time has expired. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you for keeping our country safe and secure. i want to begin by talking about the scourge of ransomware that is affecting our country as epitomized by the pipeline and jbs attacks. we authorized the creation of a joint cyber office. i am grateful to see the president's budget cuts. we will bring together government and private sector entities to correlate the defensive campaign plans. sec. mayorkas: i think he was on point for much of the work that cisa needs to do. i appreciate the work of the so

the department of homeland security is focused on community based violence prevention programs. to community partners and help prevent individuals from ever reaching the point. the department of defense will train service members on the potential targeting of current and former military members in order to help prevent radicalization. the department of health and human services will work with education, homeland security and justice to develop a website on federal resources including grants and technical assistance that can assist state and local authorities in identifying the resources they need to implement their own counter domestic terrorism programs. and those are a few examples. we have a track record of successful collaborative approaches to the challenges posed by terrorism. not just at the federal level but also with our state, local, tribal and territorial partners. the justice department's first joint terrorism task force, for example, was established in new york in 1980. at the time it was staffed with just 11 fbi investigators and the new york city police department.

of border security? border patrol, excuse me. >> of course we talked to the department of homeland security. >> did you talk with members of the border facilities on the 74 did you consult with them? >> we talked to the department of homeland security which can speak to all issues. >> currently there is a contract dish completion of our southern border that the biden administration has halted, are the contractors who had contracts signed with the federal government, are they being paid simply not to build the border will? >> the president turned to inappropriate national emergency, it allowed us to return funding back to the department of defense so it would be defense money -- >> the contractors. >> we have turned that off, most i think you're referring the department of defense money we found inappropriate and stopped the contract. >> so they are not being paid? >> they are not being paid. contractors are not being paid. >> i have a question here, i assume like everybody else, your house has walls for the purpose of this exercise, if the contractor build your own, walls your homework serve a purpose? if t

in your testimony talking about border security that walls don't work so do you have consultation for border patrol. >> of course we talked to department of homelandrity. >> did you talk to them or consult with them quick. >> we do to the department of homeland security including cbp. >> currently there is a contract on the southern border this is the biden administration has halted are the contractors currently being paid not to build the border while theyil were contracted to build quick. >> when the president turned off the national emergency it returned spending back to the department of defense. >> are the contractors being paid? >> we have turn that off that department of defense money it was inappropriate. >> they are not being paid it all? >> they are not being paid. >> quick question. i assume for the purpose of this exercise that you build the walls in your home server purpose? would it contain heat and air conditioning and key people in and out? >> i think we are trying to compare home walls to walls along the complex border. i see where you are going. i don't see how that is comparable. >> have you been to the border to see the border

of waterul security? border patrol, excuse me. >> of course we talked to the department of homeland security. >> did you talkembers who actually work on the southern border? did you consult with them? >> we talked to the department of homeland security which speaks to allll issues including this. >> quick question for you, currently there is a contract to complete the southern border the biden administration has halted. hother contractors had contracs signed from our they currently being paid simply not to build the border while they were contracted to build? >> when the president turned off the inappropriate national emergency, it allowed us to return funding back to the department of defense soo the contractors paid with the department of defense moneyey. >> are the contractors being paid? >> we have turn that off, most of them i think you are referring with the department of defense money which we found appropriate and we stopped. >> they are not being paid at all? >> they are not being paid. >> quick question for you, i assume like everybody else your house has walls, for the purpose of this exercise, if

department of homeland security and the u.s. department of defense, characterize climate change as an urgent, growing threat based on its ability to cripple critical infrastructure, deplete military resources, and fuel terrorism. despite the pressing need to address the risks posed by climate change, and despite the progress that had been made by the obama administration, president trump, disregarded these challenges, increased the likelihood that americans would experience these risks, and took steps to eliminate federal research and response climate change programs. in contrast, through multiple executive orders on the climate crisis, and by providing $1 billion to communities through fema's pre-disaster building resilient infrastructure and communities program, and through the biden administration's plan to invest in resilient critical infrastructure through the american jobs plan and the administration's budget proposal, president biden continues to take swift and bold action to restore america's leadership on climate issues

the department of health and human services will work with the departments of homeland security and justice to develop a website that aggregates and publicizes information on federal resources, including grants, training, and technical assistance that can assist state and local authorities and the general public in identifying the resources they need to implement their own counterdomestic terrorism programs. and those are just a few examples. we have a track record of suc successful collaborative approaches to the challenges posed by terrorism, not just at the federal level, but also with our state, local, tribal, and territorial partners. the justice department's first joint terrorism task force, for example, was established in new york in 1980. at the time, it was staffed with just 11 fbi investigators and 11 members of a new york city police department. today, our approximately 200 joint task force terrorism task forces have over 4,300 officers from more than 550 local, state, and principal agencies, who work together every day as our first line of defense against terrorist attacks. the

from a different perspective, there say gaping hole in our cyber defense, that is called department of homeland securityworks against domestic attack, but authority is not capability. unfortunately most folks in the government stopped arguing a long time ago about this only agency that has capability of defending against the kind of cyberattacks you just talked about. was one that was under my purview, nsa. problem is that law does not allow it. the warnings from fbi director are great. but we need a remedy, and a solution. one, we need to take someone from dhs, give then dual hat authority, locate them within the nsa, so when it attacks, the agents that are capable can be utilized. trey: i want to bounce around with you. we sat decide -- jason chaffetz for a number of years, we know there life on other planets, what can you tell me. >> people want to start with alien life form. it is not going to rule anything out or anything in. i think what is important, people can expect about this uap report and i think it will talk about the number of sightings, they are greater than publicly disclosed before. the

with the department of homeland security. but there isn't enough about what we need to do so that goes beyond that nasa not to get your cyberhygiene but also be prepared for these attackers even if you are the target. >> and i want you to miss an opportunity from the george mason law school. >> founded four years ago we liked at that think tanks space and then we realized there really wasn't a think tank that looked at the bipartisan group of experts to get members of congress and their staff with those actual recommendations we been doing it for about four years and wendy robinson and those from the national security institute. >> going to arlington good morning. >> can you hear me. >> my comment is from the geopolitical perspective want the audience and your guest to talk about the idea of hacking that if someone hacks our infrastructure to create cybernetworks but in reality that could be a geopolitical purpose to say we don't want america to work with country xyz. so coming up with a lot of energy that this happened from

. >> there's a gaping hole in our cyber defense and that hole is called the department of homeland security department of homeland security has the authority to defend our networks against domestic attacks but authority is not capability and you know, unfortunately i think most folks in the government stopped arguing a long time ago about this. >> greg: so dana, they recovered $2.3 billion worth of bit coin from colonial pipeline, that was the ransomware although to me ransomware if it sounds like something you would put on if you were planning on being kidnapped. >> dana: you never know. you never know. >> greg: a halter top. is this enough just to take the crypto? shouldn't you be putting it in the crypto? >> dana: yes, she basically was saying, yeah, it's really important for us to be prepared. we know that, we've known that for many, many years. this morning on the newsroom, the governments have the capability to push back. so the sound bite, one, we did today in terms of getting that crypto back but it would be helpful if the administration said, america will not stand for this. >> it'

department of homeland security said it's reviewing the report. vice president has been focused on another dhs priority, kamala harris spent today in mexico, the final leg of her trip to address the issue of migration to the southern border. she is repeatedly criticized by some mostly on the right for not yet visiting the border after vice president but as she was a former california senator it would not be the first trip. this was her response late tonight. >> if you're from california you know i've spent a lot of time on the border both going there physically and aware of the issues. but the reality of it is is that we need to prioritize what's happening at the border and we have to prioritize why people are going to the border. >> with that let's bring in the leadoff guests. phillip rucker for "the washington post". katie benner with "the new york times." and retired u.s. army lieutenant general russell honore, of 37 years of military service that led the relief effort on the ground in new orleans after katrina and just led the review of capitol

you have the fbi, department of homeland security, department of defense, national security agency, theligence community all with their hands in the mix. the creation of national cyber director, that is a great first step. a greater focus than national security council, also a good first step. president biden's executive order that came out a couple weeks ago tries to bring those agencies together in a better way. i think that is important from the government's side. the place where this won't be as effect irv effective i think is with the private sector though it is important in counterterrorism in fact the vast majority of cyber ground that has to be protected is the private sector. that is going to require a different relationship than we had in the counterterrorism context. >> so you are out of the government now and you work and advise private sector clients how to deal with this threat. i assume you get some reluctance and resistance to sharing more information with the government whether to protect information from competitors, just we don't have a relationship with the governmen

we needy federal agencies chargd with cybersecurity like the department of homeland security and the cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency to understand the extent of these n attacks and how best to support victims. makeke no mistake. if we do not step up our cybersecurity threadiness, the consequences will be severe. the ransomware attack on colonial pipeline affected millions of americans. thee next time an incident like this happens, unfortunately, it could be even worse. as chairman of this committee, i'm committed to prioritizing private policies that will help secure our critical infrastructure networks, proposed in the infrastructure package congress is now negotiating. protecting the american people from these sophisticated, harmful and proceeding attacks willll not be easy. wehe must learn from our past mistakes, find out what went wrong and work together to tackle this enormous challenge. inaction, however, is simply not an option. turn it over to ranking member portman for your openinge remarks. >> thank you, mr. chairman. mr. blount, thank you for being here tod