A bill that would create a new Cabinet department dedicated to national security is gaining momentum in both houses of Congress.
President Bush and other Republicans had failed to gain support for Homeland Security bill due to Democratic control of both houses, but the recent Republican take-over has breathed new life into it.
A lame-duck meeting of Congress, meaning the losing incumbents' last session, will assemble today, making it difficult to predict the bill's immediate outcome.
According to President Bush's Chief of Staff Andrew Card, the outlook is positive that the bill will be passed during the session.
\I think we have the votes to pass it,"" Card said Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press. ""And we've had people working all weekend to understand the different roles and concerns that the different factions have on Capitol Hill.""
UW-Madison political science professor David Canon said the new cabinet department would play a large role in the coordination of homeland security among government agencies.
""The main purpose behind it is to centralize various national security functions in a single cabinet agency,"" Canon said. ""Right now there is a lot of duplication and overlap [in duties concerning national security among government agencies].""
Previous left-wing resistance may be attributed to the bill giving President Bush rare power over the new department's employees, Canon added.
""Unlike any other cabinet level agencies, Bush would have the power to hire and fire people in the agency, which is not true in [other] agencies governed by civil service laws,"" he said.
As the prospect of this bill passing becomes more likely, opponents may jump on the bandwagon rather than be left behind.
""Republicans will have the votes to get this through, and Democrats don't want to be seen as obstructionists,"" UW-Madison political science professor Don Kettl said. ""This is clearly not a battle that can be won in the long haul.""
In terms of the effect the new cabinet would have on the lives of average people, its activities will not be immediately apparent, according to Kettl.
""Most of what this department does will not be things that ordinary citizens see, except for security at airports,"" he said.
The motivation behind this bill stems directly from recent acts of domestic terrorism, particularly the bombing of the World Trade Towers, Canon said.
""From Bush's perspective, this bill will make [us] safer from terrorist attacks,"" he said.
