Security at Federal Buildings - It Ain’t There

Congressman Bob Barr, May 3, 2002

In the aftermath of September 11th, security was rapidly upgraded in government buildings and facilities throughout Washington, D.C. New x-ray machines were installed, barriers erected, additional security personnel employed and everyone’s vigilance heightened. On Capitol Hill, the National Guard was posted at all intersections, and access to the Capitol building itself sharply curtailed. As the Oklahoma City bombings made clear to all, however, sensitive government facilities and the thousands of Americans who man them, extend far beyond the borders of the Capitol beltway.

In the metro Atlanta area in particular, the federal government is a major employer. From the Internal Revenue Service to the Justice Department, to our federal courts, thousands of Georgians serve our country each day, helping our government function and securing our republic. They do this despite the past terrorist attacks at the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City and the Pentagon on September 11th, and in the face of continued threats by those bent on destroying our way of life. These men and women do this, because they believe in doing the people’s work; they believe in America.

These Americans deserve the same protection as those working on Capitol Hill do, and the same effort must be made to make those facilities just as secure as the United States Capitol. Unfortunately, as we recently discovered, this is not happening. At my, and House Government Reform Chairman Dan Burton’s request, agents from the General Accounting Office (GAO) conducted an undercover investigation at five separate federal buildings in the Atlanta area.

These offices are not only the workplace of thousands of Georgians, but also contain some of our government’s most sensitive documents. From the financial information of millions of Americans at an IRS facility, to top-secret Justice Department documents, these buildings are a virtual treasure-trove for those criminal and terrorist elements focused on harming government operations, and more importantly, taking American lives.

Yet, despite the wakeup call our entire nation witnessed on September 11th, we discovered gaping holes in our government security. We learned that each one of these GAO investigators was able to bypass, with ease, every security checkpoint and safeguard at every Atlanta building they looked at. They were never challenged; no questions were asked; basic security procedures were ignored; and common-sense overlooked; these individuals were allowed to enter these important federal buildings without so much as a second-glance. At a Government Reform Committee field hearing in Atlanta I chaired recently, to receive testimony from GAO on its findings, the investigators stated they could have carried firearms, explosives and chemical agents into every facility, and no one would have stopped them.

These findings tell me we have to stop focusing on cosmetic security procedures and move forward with a renewed vigilance and commitment to securing our homeland at the "street" level. This is not a question of money or new laws. It is a question of training, commitment and accountability. The federal government needs to have a well-trained, professional security force manning our government buildings; a security force that uses the same level of energy taking nail clippers out of the hands of airline passengers, as not allowing unauthorized personnel to have access to our most important government facilities. We in the Congress must continue our oversight role, and do our best to make sure the job gets done.

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