WASHINGTON – Governmental Affairs Commmittee Ranking Member Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., Wednesday made the following statement in reaction to President Bush’s Presidential Directive regarding Critical Infrastructure Identification, Prioritization and Protection:
“This nation has been desperately in need of leadership to protect its critical infrastructure from terrorist attack. Today, the President has given Secretary Ridge yet another year to develop a ‘plan’ to develop a ‘strategy’ to identify, prioritize, and protect key critical infrastructures.
“This would almost be laughable were it not such a devastating failure for our country. The Administration has repeatedly assured us it was at work on such plans and strategies. Now, we discover the Administration has been running in place, leaving us no closer to having meaningful protections for the vital systems and assets the country depends upon each day.”