Hurricane Season Underway; Be Prepared
With the start of hurricane season on June 1, Americans living along the eastern seaboard and the Gulf Coast should make sure they are prepared… Read More
Articles by Matt Mayer
Boston Marathon Bombing: Counterterrorism Investigation Process in Full Swing
In the immediate aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, the key to the investigation is strong cooperation and teamwork by the law enforcement entities involved…. Read More
Federal Disaster Relief Spending Out of Control
The world’s second-largest reinsurer, Swiss Re, reports “that natural catastrophes and man-made disasters cost the insurance industry $77 billion in 2012.” The report noted this… Read More
Homeland Security: Streamline America’s Domestic Enterprise
Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is holding a hearing titled, “Counterterrorism Policies and Priorities: Addressing the Evolving Threat.” The hearing has just… Read More
Border Security as a Political Football
In the increasingly politicized environment surrounding President Obama’s attempt to pass comprehensive immigration reform, border security again became the focus. In an attempt to take… Read More
Sandy Relief: Final Vote on Pork Package Set to Go
Despite all the handwringing, it appears that President Barack Obama will get what he wanted in his excessive $60.4 billion request related to Hurricane Sandy…. Read More
Fuzzy Numbers Drive Obama Hurricane Sandy Request
According to the Financial Times, the insurance industry estimates the total bill for insurers from Hurricane Sandy will be between $20 billion and $25 billion…. Read More
Surprise, Surprise: Report Finds Homeland Security Wasting Money
In his oversight report, “Safety at Any Price: Assessing the Impact of Homeland Security Spending in U.S. Cities,” Senator Tom Coburn (R–OK) highlights several examples… Read More
New York Times: “A Big Storm Requires Big Government”
In a shameless attempt to politicize Hurricane Sandy, The New York Times rushed out an editorial, “A Big Storm Requires Big Government,” attacking conservatives for… Read More
Morning Bell: Bracing for Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy is battering the East Coast this morning, expected to wreak havoc for millions of people from the Mid-Atlantic to northern New England. Our thoughts… Read More
FEMA Disaster Website Suddenly Less Transparent
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been out of control in its disaster declarations, and the Obama Administration has issued more of these than… Read More
Identity Security Only as Strong as the Weakest Link
The U.S. Government Accountability Office released a new report, “Driver’s License Security: Federal Leadership Needed to Address Remaining Vulnerabilities.” The authors note that many states… Read More
With Hurricane Isaac Coming, Everyone Asks the Wrong Question
As Tropical Storm Isaac is upgraded to Hurricane Isaac, the national media’s focus is on comparing the potential impact of Hurricane Isaac to Hurricane Katrina…. Read More
Shocker of the Week: Illegal Immigrants Exploit Obama Amnesty Program to Stay in U.S.
President Obama’s unilateral decision to implement parts of the failed DREAM Act legislation has allowed “dreamers” to game the system and stay in the U.S…. Read More
UC-Berkeley Ready for Soviet Invasion
In another example of wasting finite taxpayers funds, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) gave the University of California-Berkeley $200,000 to buy an “armored… Read More
Immigration: Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics
The Obama Administration has claimed that the southern border is secure because apprehension rates for illegal border crossings are down. The Pew Hispanic Center, using… Read More
Obama Illegal Immigration Silent Work Raid Policy Not Working
Last week in The Wall Street Journal, Miriam Jordan writes that “Fresh Raids Target Illegal Hiring.” While a quick glance would leave readers with the… Read More
FEMA’s Use of Waffle House as Severity Indicator a Smart Move
Recent press reports indicate that FEMA uses the status of Waffle House restaurants to gauge the severity of conditions following a natural disaster. Fox News‘ Garrett… Read More
Climate Change Not the Problem as FEMA Declarations Dramatically Slow
Apologists for the huge number of declarations issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) typically argue that climate change is the cause of the… Read More
Despite the Hype, Hurricane Season Ends with a Whimper, but FEMA Activity Runs Amok
The 2011 hurricane season ends today. Other than Hurricane Irene, which was nearly just a tropical storm when it hit land, no hurricanes hit the… Read More
No Blank Checks for FEMA
Heritage’s Jim Carafano appeared on CBS’s “Early Show” to discuss the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) wanting a blank check. FEMA says it has too… Read More
Cantor Demands Common-Sense Spending Cuts in Exchange for More FEMA Aid
Liberals are busy trying to drum up controversy over Representative Eric Cantor’s (R–VA) calls for spending cuts in exchange for more aid to the Federal… Read More
Obama’s FEMA Breaks Disaster Declaration Record
On August 8, President Barack Obama’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued a disaster declaration for flooding in Utah. With that declaration, FEMA hit 158… Read More
SecurityNews
Another Federal Program Is Not the Answer to Deal with Natural Disasters
It is heartbreaking to see the destroyed homes, scattered possessions, and lives shattered by recent tornadoes in Alabama, Missouri and elsewhere. Many have lost loved… Read More
Federalism Guarantees States Key Role in Controlling Immigration
Critics of state and local government action on immigration fail to keep in mind one simple but critical point: The states have these rights. It… Read More
No Hurricanes or Earthquakes Yet, But FEMA Already Headed for Record Year
In President Barack Obama’s first two years, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) averaged 108 disaster declarations per year. In less than six months, FEMA… Read More
Georgia Joins Arizona in Strong Effort to Control Illegal Immigration
It appears that Georgia Governor Nathan Deal will sign legislation passed by the Georgia House and Senate that adopts the Arizona SB 1070 framework for… Read More
Shocker: Obama Administration’s Worksite Audit Program Results in More Illegal Immigrants Staying in the U.S.
As I wrote in April 2009 and in July 2010, “The Obama Administration’s worksite audit policy is resulting in illegal immigrants simply moving to different… Read More
DHS Inspector General Echoes Four Years of Heritage Research
With the recent devastation in Japan, the paragon of earthquake preparedness, Americans are rightfully questioning the readiness of the United States to handle a large-scale… Read More
When Snow Melts, FEMA Funds Can Be Used for Health Care and Pensions
As we have written extensively, the federalization of natural disaster response is a losing proposition, as many states that have few natural disasters subsidize the… Read More
