Spurred by the security concerns of a bipartisan group of lawmakers, the General Accounting Office has launched an investigation into the effectiveness of two Bush administration initiatives aimed at targeting suspicious overseas cargo before it reaches U.S. ports. The investigation comes as the Homeland Security Department is asking Congress to approve a $25 million increase for the Container Security Initiative, which is designed to screen U.S.-bound cargo in foreign ports, and $15.2 million more for the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program, which seeks to help importers and ocean freight companies improve security. Several lawmakers, including Senate Governmental Affairs Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Governmental Affairs Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Norm Coleman, R-Minn., have told GAO they are concerned that the programs may not be doing enough to block terrorists from sneaking nuclear or bio-chemical weapons and other dangerous materials aboard ships bound for busy U.S. ports. Full Story
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