As the Senate continues its work in September, Republicans will work to secure America’s future. Our top priorities include efforts to protect our homeland, defend our borders, secure our energy supplies and make it easier for Americans to buy health insurance.
In just its first week back from its August break, the Senate has passed vital legislation to provide our troops with the armor, weapons and supplies they need to fight and win the war on terror.
In addition, we’ve passed a bill creating a database of all significant federal grants, contracts, insurance and earmarks.
This database, the brainchild of Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., will expose government spending to increased public scrutiny.
With the new database, citizens will have a much easier time learning where their tax money goes and holding the government accountable for it.
But we still have a lot more to do. Homeland security stands atop my list of remaining priorities. Last month’s arrests in England reminded all of us that, almost exactly five years after Sept. 11, terrorists remain intent on attacking and killing Americans.
That’s why Congress started debate this week over legislation to protect our ports from being used as a venue for attacking our homeland. Al-Qaida and its ilk would love to repeat Sept. 11.
We should not give them a chance.
That’s why Congress must authorize military commissions to try terrorist detainees for war crimes while strengthening the terrorist surveillance program so we can foil terrorist plots before they can do us harm.
We need military commissions to facilitate prosecution of the world’s most dangerous terrorist detainees.
In June, however, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress needed to pass legislation that specifically authorized these tribunals. Earlier this week, the president sent this legislation to Congress.
These commissions will give detainees full and fair trials before impartial military judges while providing substantial due process rights.
The proposed procedures, however, also recognize that because we are at war, we should not try terrorist detainees in exactly the same way as we would people accused of crimes in conventional military or civilian settings.
We also must update our foreign intelligence laws. They were written in an age of rotary telephones and need to reflect 21st century technology.
In particular, we must enhance our ability to conduct surveillance of suspected terrorists while providing appropriate congressional and judicial oversight to protect civil liberties and privacy.
Congress must pass both these bills to help keep America safe and stay one step ahead of the terrorists.
Congress must also work to secure America’s borders.
While the Republican Congress has already devoted billions of dollars in new spending to border security, our frontiers still need additional protection.
Thus, as we appropriate money, we’ll provide funds to hire new Customs and Border Protection personnel, provide them with necessary equipment, and begin the construction of a mixture of virtual and physical fencing covering every inch of the United States’ southern border.
Just as importantly, we’ll consider legislation to secure America’s energy future by increasing production while promoting the use of alterative fuels.
At the same time, Republicans will also work to make it easier for small businesses to join together and buy health insurance on the same terms as large ones.
While I am sure that Congress will have not an easy time agreeing on the specifics of all these proposals, I am convinced we can do it. In the past, Democrats have obstructed legislation vital to our safety and security. This shouldn’t continue.
After all, Democrats and Republicans should both understand the value of a safe homeland, secure borders, sufficient energy supplies, affordable health care and a well-informed citizenry.
Before November’s elections, we should work together to move America forward.
Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., is Senate Majority Leader.
