Congress, agency argue over plan to use supplies from U.S. firms

[tannybogus]

The Department of Homeland Security is attempting to bypass a congressional mandate that equipment bought for port security with federal grants be purchased from American companies, according to members of Congress and documents obtained by The Sun.

The move, which DHS officials said does not violate Congress' instructions, immediately drew sharp criticism from organized labor groups and "Buy American" sympathizers on Capitol Hill, who in recent years have repeatedly instructed procurement authorities to spend billions in federal funds on American-made goods.

Many expressed outrage at the department's directive, given the potential boost the purchases could provide to American companies in fragile economic times, and they also worried that in some cases, equipment and supplies bought from foreign companies or countries could represent a major security risk - a possibility procurement analysts say is remote.

The port security grants are used to plug potential vulnerabilities and security lapses, from security cameras to monitoring equipment. Congress has kept a watchful eye on such funding and business activities since 2006, when a Dubai-based company attempted to take over port operations in Baltimore and other U.S. cities. The department this year more than tripled its federal funding to the Baltimore port compared to last year, issuing more than $6.6 million to help strengthen protections against potential terrorist attacks and beef up security measures.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.port02aug02,0,1070429.story