Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction

Trump administration gutted anti-terrorism programs. Bipartisan officials want an explanation

The Republican and Democratic leaders of both the Senate and House Homeland Security committees are formally questioning why the Trump administration has cut programs intended to prevent terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction.

In a three-page letter, the congressional officials said their concerns were in response to a Times article published July 18 that revealed multiple anti-terrorism programs had been scaled back or eliminated since 2017 at the Department of Homeland Security. The article described the gutting of training and drills, including “red team” efforts to instruct federal, state and local officials on how to detect suitcase-sized nuclear devices or radioactive “dirty bombs” hidden on cargo ships.

In their letter, the officials said the report “raises serious concerns” about Homeland Security’s ability to protect against an attack using chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear materials in the United States.