WASHINGTON – Today, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Ranking Member Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) released the following statement regarding the Committee’s ongoing oversight of the April 15, 2013, bombings at the Boston Marathon. Chairman Carper and Ranking Member Coburn continue to work closely together to gather and review information regarding the events leading up to and immediately following the Boston bombings. This process is ongoing and will help determine what additional steps the Committee will take with regard to the Boston Marathon bombings.
“Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those in Boston and around the world who have been affected by this tragedy. As part of the Committee’s responsibility to oversee the Department of Homeland Security and interagency coordination in protecting the United States from terrorist attacks, we need to understand more fully how the federal government carried out its responsibilities before and after the Boston bombings. To this end, we have already requested additional information regarding events prior to the bombing and the federal government’s response to the attack from the Department of Homeland Security.
“Once the Committee has had an opportunity to perform a thorough analysis of the information requested, we will make a final determination on the appropriate next steps in our ongoing oversight but we fully expect the Committee to hold hearings on this terrorist attack in order to better understand what the federal government did well and what lessons can be learned from the efforts to prevent and respond to this attack. It is critical that we conduct a proper examination of the actions of the federal government, including the Department of Homeland Security, and its interactions with state and local government partners, so that we as a nation are better able to anticipate, prevent, or if necessary respond to, the next terrorist threat.”