Rep. Frank Named to Homeland Security Committee
By Scott Brooks
WASHINGTON – Democratic leaders have named Rep. Barney Frank, D-MA, to a senior position on the House’s new Select Committee on Homeland Security.
Rep. Frank is one of 23 Democrats named to the committee, which was designed to oversee the new Department of Homeland Security. Rep. Edward Markey, D-MA, who represents Medford and Framingham, also was named to the committee.
“I’m very flattered. This is a pretty tough committee,” said Rep. Frank, who learned of his appointment Tuesday night in a phone call from Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-CA. “Taking on this new role is hard work. I have to learn a lot.”
The new committee will have the responsibility of ensuring a smooth transition for the Homeland Security department, whose creation marked the largest federal reorganization in more than 50 years. Twenty-two federal agencies have been relocated to the department and are currently undergoing major structural and procedural overhauls.
“It’s a lot harder to help something new get formed than to work on something that’s been humming along,” Rep. Frank said. “It’s new, and new is harder than existing.”
Rep. Frank voted against the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which he said was likely a reason for his appointment. He said Rep. Pelosi was looking for “more skeptical” members to work on the committee.
“Oversight means doing some supervision,” Rep. Frank said. “You don’t get supervision if everybody is a cheerleader.”
“House Democrats recognize the urgent need to protect the American people,” Rep. Pelosi said in a statement Wednesday. With the party’s 23 appointees, she said, “the Homeland Security Committee will have the knowledge and experience necessary to help America win the war on terrorism.”
Twenty-seven Republicans also were named to the committee.
Rep. Frank also was active in 2001 in shaping the USA Patriot Act, which vastly increased the government’s authority to track terrorists, although he ultimately voted against it after various revisions altered the bill.
Peter Kovar, a spokesman for Rep. Frank, said the congressman is a strong supporter of getting money to first responders, such as police and fire departments, to handle emergencies.
The congressman has long advocated lower military and defense spending. Last year, he voted against authorizing President Bush to use military force in Iraq.
In January, Rep. Frank was named the Democrats’ ranking member on the House Financial Services Committee. He recently lost his post on the Judiciary Committee after party leaders shuffled posts to spread committee slots among freshman members.
Published in The New Bedford Standard Times, in Massachusetts.
