Created in the aftermath of the tragic and devastating terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the Department of Homeland Security has seen its share of successes, failures and shortcomings.

Its mission is far-reaching and critically important: Secure the vast stretches of our international borders and fully enforce ozur immigration laws. Prevent terrorists from harming our nation with ever increasingly sophisticated and lethal means. Respond to natural disasters that can strike in a moment’s notice.

While the department has made great strides since 2003, as we saw with the federal response to Hurricane Katrina, much more work needs to be done.

The creation of the department constituted one of the largest consolidations of government agencies in our nation’s history. In all, 22 different parts of government were put together to form the department. Though the department has made recognizable strides in integrating all of the different agencies, some of these agencies still operate as if they do not belong under the department’s structure.

As a result, these agencies do not perform in the most coordinated and efficient manner at times. Part of this can be attributed to the fact that many of these agencies have operated independently for decades and are used to doing so. It may also stem from the fact that the department’s headquarters’ leadership lacks direct-line authority over their counterparts in the department’s component agencies.

However, one of the most significant reasons the department has not yet fully integrated into a coordinated functioning unit is that Congress has failed to consolidate its jurisdiction over the entire department under a single authorizing committee.

In fact, there are 86 different committees and subcommittees in the House and Senate that exercise oversight over the 22 different agencies that make up the department. This creates one heck of a bureaucratic mess anytime Congress tries to move legislation involving DHS.

One example is H.R. 4088, the SAVE Act introduced by Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.). This bipartisan bill, which would help secure the borders and slow the flow of illegal immigration, was referred to eight different committees in the House alone, including: Homeland Security, Judiciary, Ways and Means, Education and Labor, Oversight and Government Reform, Armed Services, Agriculture and Natural Resources. That’s a classic example of why folks in my home state of Alabama have such a dim view of Congress.

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States, popularly known as the 9/11 Commission, stated that “(t)hrough not more than one authorizing committee and one appropriating subcommittee in each house, Congress should be able to ask the secretary of homeland security whether he or she has the resources to provide reasonable security against major terrorist acts within the United States and to hold the secretary accountable for the department’s performance.”

In fact, one of the witnesses that testified before the commission stated that the fragmented jurisdiction was “perhaps the single largest obstacle impeding the department’s successful development.”

Recently, Paul Schneider, the acting deputy secretary for DHS, testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security. I asked him about this issue. He testified that being subject to the beck and call of so many different committees and subcommittees is a serious hurdle to the department’s management.

He has, under the threat of subpoena, been forced to testify at a field hearing before the Energy and Commerce Committee. Other department officials have echoed the same concerns. Can you imagine if the Department of Defense was subject to the same treatment?

It is not as though Congress has not attempted to consolidate jurisdiction. Under former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), tremendous strides were made in this effort, primarily when the Homeland Security Committee was given the status of being a permanent standing committee.

When Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) became Speaker, the new majority promised to fully implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, which included consolidating jurisdiction over the department into a single authorizing committee.  

I voted in favor of that bill which, while far from perfect, seemed to be another step in the right direction of helping Congress address our nation’s critical security challenges. Unfortunately, the promised consolidation has still not occurred, and no good explanation as to this has been given by anyone in the Democratic leadership.

As long as this dysfunctional system of jurisdiction persists, the House will continue to have its hands tied when it comes to issues of national and homeland security. And until Congress gets its act together, how can we expect Congress to effectively oversee the Department of Homeland Security?

Rogers is a member of the House Homeland Security Committee.