Homeland Security
Fighting Bioterrorism and Nuclear Terrorism at Home

Contribute to Help Peter Fight for Homeland Security!

The attacks of September 11th changed America forever. They made us realize the need for not only strong American leadership in combating terrorism worldwide, but also vigilance in thwarting terrorist threats at home.

The threat of bioterrorism in America today is very real, as the attacks of anthrax and ricine demonstrate only too well.

In Congress, I've fought to strengthen our public health infrastructure at the national, state, and local levels to better protect Americans from these threats. As your Senator, I'll expand these efforts to make Florida, and every other state in America, safer from bioterrorism and nuclear threats.

My work in the House helped ensure that the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Response Act became our nation's blueprint for responding to the threat of bioterrorism, authorizing more than $1 billion in grants to states, local governments, and other public and private health care facilities. As a result, we are better able to improve planning and preparedness activities, enhance laboratory capacity, educate and train health care personnel, and develop new drugs, therapies, and vaccines. Additional money has been allocated to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to upgrade their capacity to address public health threats, renovate their facilities, and improve their security. I also led the effort to expand our current national stockpiles of medicines and other supplies, including the purchase of enough smallpox vaccine to vaccinate the entire U.S. population.

In addition to the threat of bioterrorism, the possibility of domestic nuclear or radiological attack also remains a critical homeland security concern - and I've worked hard to reduce this threat, as well. Two classified Congressional hearings I led in my Oversight and Investigations subcommittee documented the growing threat of nuclear terrorism within our borders. This past year, at my urging, the House provided almost $200 million in additional funding for port security to protect us against the potential smuggling of highly enriched uranium for use in radioactive attacks. As a result, custom officials at Port Everglades, the Port of Miami, and others throughout America will no longer be forced to rely on antiquated technology that cannot reliably detect weapons-grade nuclear material.

In the Senate, I will continue to press officials such as the Customs Commissioner, the National Nuclear Security Administration Administrator and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency Director to work together in a new concerted effort to protect our borders from penetration by nuclear material or devices. For starters, we need to better fund efforts by U.S. Customs to improve border security with new equipment such as radiation detectors. I believe that the Department of Energy needs a clear strategy to effectively monitor highly enriched uranium worldwide, and I will continue to push for legislation I sponsored in the House to require one. The truth is, we often don't know what happens to this material in countries such as India or Pakistan or in the Caribbean, where security is sometimes lax and secondary sales often go unmonitored. But we do know that this material poses a serious threat to our own security.

Our homeland defense will only be as strong as its weakest link. The president and Republicans in Congress have consistently under-funded Homeland Security even while they give speeches about its paramount importance. I have fought to adequately fund all of our homeland security efforts, including the needs of our nation's first responders - and I'll continue to fight for them in the Senate. Only if we make the necessary investment at every level will we have a well-prepared homefront and a stronger and safer America.

Florida's coastline and attractions will always make it a potential target. We need to continue to fill Bob Graham's Senate seat with a Senator who understands the terrorist threat and possesses leadership experience in the fight against it. As your Senator, I'll continue the work I've started to ensure that we do everything we can to protect our state and nation from attack.