IN THE NEWS - Bush Proposes New Security Department

By Caty Weaver¹
IN THE NEWS -June 15, 2002: Bush Proposes New Security Department

This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program IN THE NEWS.

President Bush has proposed creating a new federal agency. If approved by Congress, the Department of
Homeland Security would become the fifteenth cabinet-level department of the United States government. Its
creation would be the largest government re -organization in more than fifty years.

The proposal calls for the new agency to be divided into four parts. One part, Border
and Transportation Security, would unite control of federal security operations
linked to borders, territorial² waters and transportation systems. A second part of the
agency would be Emergency Preparedness and Response. It would supervise federal
government assistance in training emergency workers and direct the government’
s
disaster reaction efforts.

Another part would deal with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.
It would lead efforts to prepare for and react to terrorist threats involving such weapons. And, the fourth part of
the proposed department would combine and examine intelligence and other information gathered by many
organizations. The Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation³ are among the organizations that gather information.

Parts of about twenty-two separate government organizations would be included in the Department of Homeland
Security. The Secret Service, the Customs Service, the Coast Guard, and the Immigration and Naturalization
Service are among them. About one-hundred-seventy-thousand people would be employed in the new agency. Its
proposed first year budget is about thirty-seven-thousand-million dollars. That is about one-tenth the current
budget for the Department of Defense⁴.

The President has not yet named possible candidates to lead the proposed department. The head of the new
department would be a member of the cabinet. Many observers expect the current director of Homeland Security,
Tom Ridge⁵, will be a nominee⁶.

Congressional leaders of both parties have been calling for the creation of a cabinet -level Department of
Homeland Security for months. They have met with Mister Bush to discuss his proposal. Both parties say they
expect several congressional committees will get chances to re-shape the proposal. Congressional leaders
promised to pass some version of it by September eleventh. That will be the one year anniversary of the terrorist
attacks in the United States.

Several lawmakers have said that they want a new homeland security department to have more control over the
C-I-A and the F-B-I. The House and Senate are currently holding hearings about possible intelligence failures by
those agencies in connection with the September eleventh attacks.

This VOA Special English In The News program was written by Caty Weaver. This is Steve Ember.

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1 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

2 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

5 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

6 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。