18 years ago this week the epicenter of ground 0 makes todays program especially meaningful. I know many of you toured the museum last night, some for the first time. The events we chronicle here, the lives we remember and the aspirations we embrace for a world free from the scourge of terrorism are inextricably linked to the work of this committee and the topics you will discuss today. Here at the 9 11 memorial and museum we testify to the largest loss of life resulting from a foreign attack on american soil and the single greatest loss of rescue personnel in a single event in american history. Our exhibitions and programs recount the collective experience of profound shock, unprecedented vulnerability and overwhelming grief caused by the attacks. Yet visitors take away more than a cautionary tale to remain vigilant to continued threats by sharing the manifold expressions of courage, compassion and service in response to 9 11. This museum also affirms the best of who we can be. As human beings. From its inception the 9 11 memorial and museum vowed to honor and preserve the memory of all who were killed. Two days from now this memorial will host as we do every year a solemn ceremony to arc the anniversary of the 9 11 attacks. In recent years, our understanding of what it means to remember has had to evil with a tragic recognition that for far too many 9 11 is not past history at all. For the survivors, responders, rescue recovery workers, relief workers and volunteers and community members, exposed to hazards and toxins in the aftermath of the attacks, 9 11 is an all too present reality. The massive 16 acre recovery effort of this site lasted 9 months including on may 30, 2002, with ceremonial removal of the last column standing behind you in Foundation Hall. During that time as well is on the day of the attack, hundreds of thousands, estimated 400,000 responders and survivors, workers and residents were exposed to hazards and toxic dust released into the air at and around the World Trade Center. In the 18 years since, thousands have died, tens of thousands more suffer injuries and illnesses sustained at all 3 attack sites including the pentagon and the crash site in shanksville, pennsylvania. The scale of the 9 11 Health Crisis is almost inconceivable. Over 97,000 People Living in all 50 states and in 434 of 435 congressional districts currently enrolled in the cdcs World Trade Center health program. This tragic situation exemplifies what we call here the longitudinal impact of terrorism, its ongoing human toll. In just two years we will mark the 20th anniversary of the 9 11 attacks. For the witness generation, it is unbelievable the two decades will have passed which are memories of that day are still that vivid. There is a new generation growing up in a world that in so many ways by a pivotal event they could not experience personally. Some are in college, some are starting their careers. If, as someone recently remarked, the 21st century started here, we must ensure that the next generation and generations to come understand the significance of the events and legacies of 9 11 so they have the tools and the perspective to negotiate the challenges ahead. National security, the topic of todays meeting, is among the greatest of those challenges and it is a programmatic focus of this memorial and museum as evidenced by this mornings hearing, the museum has emerged as a vital convening space in which to explore issues of global security, counterterrorism, crisis leadership and Public Service. We provide specially tailored Training Programs for professionals in Law Enforcement, intelligence and the military and we regularly offer Public Programs on security, defense and foreign policy. The museum also hosts an annual summit on security bringing together leading voices on Security Matters from across the public and private sectors. Our next summit takes pl. November 12th and 13th and will kick off with keynotes from former dni director dan coats and our chairman, mike bloomberg. This years summit will also offer an opportunity for attendees to preview the next special exhibition documenting the more than ten years and for osama bin laden. If youre interested in attending the summit or would like to visit this exhibition at another time, please let me know. Standing here, sitting here in Foundation Hall at the heart of ground 0, we are witness not only to the remnants of what was destroyed but to the promise of a better future. This is now the foundation at ground 0. A place to build up from and create a safer world for our children and our grandchildren. Thank you for being here today and for your dedication and service to a singularly critical goal. Please be seated. This hearing of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs will come to order. I would like to start with a brief moment of silence to honor the memory of those who lost their lives on this terrible day, and the First Responders who continue to lose their lives to diseases they contracted in acts of heroism. Thank you. I would first like to thank Alex Greenwald and everyone involved in the creation of this special place, i would like to thank the Memorial Museum for hosting this hearing on Hallowed Ground and providing a sobering and moving and educational tour for Committee Members and staff last night. I would like to thank everyone for attending what i hope will be a thoughtful and informative event. In particular i would like to thank three of the former secretaries of Homeland Security, secretaries Michael Chertoff, Janet Napolitano and johnson and their service to this nation. We truly appreciate it. The title of this hearing, 18 years later, the state of Homeland Security after 9 11, describes our goal, to look back and assess what has transpired since that awful day, what actions were taken, what has and has not been effective. Most important, what has changed. In 2011, the 10th anniversary report card by the Bipartisan Policy Center focused on the extent to which the 9 11 commissions 41 recommendations have been implemented. The report concluded with a reminder that, quote, we have done much, there is much more to do. Much work remains because we are living in a world of rapid and dramatic change. It is essential to acknowledge that the world even all, enemies adapt, new threats and problems emerge. For example, if isis existed in 2011 it wasnt on most peoples radar. We are worried about largescale plant attacks by al qaeda. A group using video and social media to inspire lone wolf terrorists, i doubt the creators of the internet and social media platforms ever contemplated how their innovations could be used for such evil. In his book, robert bork illustrated how the internet provided an opportunity for previously isolated deviants to connect to others. Social media has sped up the process Daniel Patrick moynihan described as, quote, defining deviancy down. We experienced a proliferation of homegrown violent extremists, Mass Shootings and domestic terror attacks. Another dramatic shift involves illegal immigration. In 2011, only 3098 unaccompanied children from Central America were apprehended on the southwest border and the phenomenon of families exploiting our laws, we were not even keeping track. 11 months into this fiscal year, 69,000 unaccompanied children from Central America, 432,000 family members have been apprehended with most claiming asylum and being allowed to stay. I use these examples to highlight the evolving complexity of the problems we face and our inability to effectively address them. Unfortunately, there are not Many Solutions as easy and effective as hardening. The chairman of this can be, i have attempted to guide us through the problemsolving process, gather information, properly defined problems, identify root causes, establish achievable goals, and then, only after completing that work, begin to design workable solutions. Too often in the political realm solutions are directed toward unachievable goals and do not reflect reality. The 10th anniversary detailed implementation of the 9 11 commissions 41 recommendations but those were solutions in response to 9 11. In 2015, this committee as Ranking Member tom coburn issued a report reviewing the department of Homeland Security, detailed 544 million spent by dhs from 20032014 and criticized the department for, quote, not successfully executing any of its fine main missions. As an aside let me mention what those 5 missions are. Prevent terrorism and enhance security, secure and manage our borders. Enforce and minister our immigration laws. Safeguard and secure cyberspace. Strengthen National Preparedness and resilience. In that report as harsh as it was does not reflect the current secretary, secretary johnson or past secretaries. He calls that report the management skills and unity of effort, unity of effort initiative. Still a pretty harsh assessment and after 18 years it is necessary to ask hard questions based on experience. For example dhs too big . Does it have too Many Missions . Can you expect one department to be responsible for national disasters, domestic terror attacks, Cyber Security, protecting infrastructure, enforcing immigration laws, securing the borders, investigating counterfeit currency, protecting government officials . Not only does the list go on but in addition to operational responsibilities, dhs points to 92 committees and jurisdictions plus plus 27 caucuses, commissions and groups. A complex set of problems our nation faces will not be solved with heated rhetoric in the midst of political squabbling. It will require individuals working together in good faith as members of this committee have done so often in the past. That is why i am grateful a Bipartisan Group of senators has the opportunity to be here today to learn from a Bipartisan Group of former secretaries. Through this work i hope we can evaluate past successes and failures and use these assessments to guide future actions and policies designed to secure our homeland. I thank the secretaries and look forward to your testimony. Senator peters. Thank you for convening this important hearing and thank you to Alice Greenwald and the National September 11th memorial and museum for hosting us today. Im grateful to our former home integrity secretaries for joining us to share your thoughts as well as your expertise. This hallowed space is quiet and peaceful today. We are surrounded by the remnants of the towers that were destroyed and the treasured memories of 2977 lives taken 18 years ago at the World Trade Center, the pentagon and shanksville, pennsylvania. My colleagues and i had the opportunity to tour the museum and the memorial yesterday and we experienced this extraordinary tribute to the lives that were lost in the most devastating attack on american soil. Tribute to the families that lost their loved ones and the First Responders who so bravely ran into danger to save the lives of others. Behind us is the last column, the final piece of steel that was removed from ground 0 after the 9month recovery effort had ended. It stands as a monument honoring the 441 First Responders, police, firefighters and rescue workers who gave their lives in the line of duty. This week we remember and honor the lives lost september 11, 2001. And we reflect on the lessons weve learned in the years since as we work to prevent a tragedy like this from ever happening again. In the days following september 11th our nation felt for the first time we were vulnerable to the dangers in a volatile world. No one knew what the future would hold. Only that we would rise from the rubble united and resolved to be stronger than ever. It was out of that uncertainty and determination to protect this nation from future attacks that the department of Homeland Security was founded. The new department which rapidly grew to be one of the nations largest federal agencies was comprised of nearly 2 dozen large and diverse agencies many of which operated for decades as independent actors. In the face of tragedy these organizations each with unique cultures and histories coalesced around a single and focused mission under one banner. The department of Homeland Security was created with one primary mission in mind. Combating the scourge of terrorism and making sure we could say with confidence never again. However, in the years that have since passed as the world around us is changed so too have the challenges facing this great nation and this vital department. Dhs confronts a new generation of persistent and evolving threats more complex and diffuse than we could have imagined a few years ago. With each passing day our world becomes more interconnected, cementing the Important RoleCyber Security plays in our everyday lives. A rise in violence done by racism, religious accommodation and other hateful ideologies has altered our perception of domestic terrorism and the threat they pose. One of the gravest threats to National Security does not fly a flag or adhere to an ideology. Climate change poses an accidental threat not just to the United States but to our entire planet. That affirmative Homeland Security is our first line of defense against these and many other challenges, some of which have evolved or risen since this department was created. As threats to our homeland change, so must the efforts to protect our National Security. With nearly two decades of Lessons Learned the time has come for clear id assessment of what has worked and what needs to be improved. As we reflect on what the department has accomplished today we must consider the size and complexity of dhs can keep pace with constantly evolving threats of a rapidly changing world. To build a more Sustainable Department and defend ourselves from Global Threats we must look to the future. It is not enough to understand the threat of the moment. We must ensure dhs is prepared to anticipate those threats arising in the future. This is a difficult conversation but one that we must have to keep our country safe and ensure that we never again face a catastrophic event like september 11th. Thank you, senator peters. It is our tradition to swear in witnesses so if you will stand and raise your right hand. These were the testimony will give before the study will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god . The seated. Our first secretary is Michael Chertoff, founder and executive chairman of the Michael Chertoff group and covington and burling. Michael chertoff was the second secretary of the development of home integrity serving under george w. Bush. He left the department in 20052009. Earlier in his career he was a federal judge on the Third Circuit court of appeals and was head of the Us Department of committal justices Criminal Division. Michael chertoff. Thank you, mister chairman and senator peters and members of the committee. I deeply appreciate and am honored by the opportunity to appear before your committee and particularly in this setting which is so meaningful. I also know a number of Senior Security officials from the state of new york, the Fire Department of new york and the port authority, which of course is the organization that has this facility. I also would like to request respectfully my written testimony. Objection. I have personal memories of september 11th. I was head of the Criminal Division and within minutes after the second plane hit the tower in the World Trade Center i was at the Operations Center in the fbi with fbi director bob mueller trying to figure out first who had done it and more important how do we stop it from happening again. I have vivid memories of hearing about the plane that went down in shanksville, also having heard the transmission to shoot the plane down and necessary. Something i never imagined i would live to hear. Within a matter of days after september 11th i was here on the site with the attorney general and the fbi director and you could still experience the smell and visual sites of the destruction which were almost unimaginable. For me, this is an opportunity to remember, the whole country, the whole world, a seminal event in our lifetimes. It is very appropriate to use the impending anniversary as a way to honor those who died, and those who volunte