From: Washington Post/Federal Eye
By Josh Hicks
A Senate panel plans to review the Department of Homeland Security during a hearing on Wednesday, a date marking the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that led to the agency’s creation.
The Senate Homeland Security Committee will examine issues relating to cybersecurity, counterterrorism, border security and disaster preparedness, according to congressional aides.
The panel is scheduled to hear testimony from former lawmakers and past DHS officials, including Tom Ridge, who was the first homeland security secretary, and retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, who served as national incident commander during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Congress and former President George W. Bush created the DHS in 2003, pulling together 22 federal agencies into a new cabinet-level department charged with coordinating and enhancing the nation’s homeland security efforts.
The committee will discuss lessons from past events such as Hurricane Katrina, the Boston Marathon bombing, and a growing number of cyberattacks affecting, the government, the private sector and the nation’s critical infrastructure, according to congressional aides.
The hearing on Wednesday begins at 9:30 a.m.
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