US Senate confirms Jeh Johnson as new Homeland Security secretary.

US Senate confirms Jeh Johnson as new Homeland Security secretary.(TOI).

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats used their newly initiated lower threshold for defeating filibusters Monday to win Senate confirmation of President Barack Obama’s nomination of former top Pentagon lawyer Jeh C. Johnson to be secretary of homeland security.

On a 57-37 vote, Democrats broke a GOP blockade against Johnson before the Senate minutes later confirmed him on a 78-16 vote. Until Democrats unilaterally changed the Senate’s filibuster threshold on presidential nominations, it would have taken 60 votes to clear Johnson for a final vote.

Anne W. Patterson, currently the US ambassador to Egypt and formerly ambassador to Pakistan, also won confirmation Monday to become assistant secretary of state in charge of Near Eastern affairs. She also was confirmed 78-16, with all of the “no” votes coming from Republicans. A career diplomat, Patterson entered the State Department’s foreign service in 1973.

Johnson is replacing Janet Napolitano as head of the Homeland Security Department. About 40 percent of the senior leadership positions are now vacant, and Johnson said filling those posts was among his top priorities.

In a statement, Obama praised the Senate for confirming Johnson, calling him “a critical member of my national security team.”

“And he helped to shape some of our most successful national security policies and strategies,” the president added.

Obama has in the past praised Johnson’s role in overturning the ban on openly gay service members in the military.

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., questioned Johnson’s experience for heading homeland security, a department created after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks from more than two dozen disparate agencies and now perhaps the most complex in Obama’s Cabinet.

“I’m not saying he’s not a good man, but he’s not a good choice for this,” Sessions said.

On Friday, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said he was also troubled because Johnson did not answer all of his questions about immigration policy during his confirmation process.

Why Does The Department Of Homeland Security Need 450 Million Hollow Point Bullets?

Why Does The Department Of Homeland Security Need 450 Million Hollow Point Bullets?(AP).By Michael Snyder.Somebody out there has decided that the Department of Homeland Security needs a whole lot of ammunition. Recently it was announced that ATK was awarded a contract to provide up to 450 million hollow point bullets to the Department of Homeland Security over the next five years. Is it just me, or does that sound incredibly excessive? What in the world is the DHS going to do with 450 million rounds? What possible event would ever require that much ammunition? If the United States was ever invaded, it would be the job of the U.S. military to defend the country, so that can't be it. So what are all of those bullets for? Who does the Department of Homeland Security plan to be shooting at? According to the U.S. Census, there are only about 311 million people living in the entire country. So why does the Department of Homeland Security need 450 million rounds of ammunition? Either this is an incredible waste or there is something that the Department of Homeland Security is not telling us. I could understand if the U.S. military was ordering ammunition in this quantity. When you fight wars you can go through ammunition very rapidly. But the Department of Homeland Security is only supposed to be shooting at people very rarely. It simply does not make sense that they would need so much ammunition.
The following is an excerpt from the official press release about this deal between ATK and the Department of Homeland Security.... ATK announced that it is being awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) agreement from the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS, ICE) for .40 caliber ammunition. This contract features a base of 12 months, includes four option years, and will have a maximum volume of 450 million rounds. ATK was the incumbent and won the contract with its HST bullet, which has proven itself in the field. The special hollow point effectively passes through a variety of barriers and holds its jacket in the toughest conditions. HST is engineered for 100-percent weight retention, limits collateral damage, and avoids over-penetration. 'We are proud to extend our track record as the prime supplier of .40 caliber duty ammunition for DHS, ICE,' said Ron Johnson, President of ATK's Security and Sporting group.
According to Gallup, 41 percent of all Americans said that they owned a gun in 2010. But when that question was asked again in 2011, that number had risen to 47 percent.
Clearly, a lot of Americans are feeling the need to arm themselves.Unfortunately, they may find themselves short on ammunition for those guns considering how much ammo the government is buying up.
So what is causing everyone to buy so many guns?Of course the rising gang problem in America is a major concern too. According to the FBI there are now 1.4 million gang members living in the United States, and that number has increased by 40 percent since 2009. Many urban communities have essentially been taken over by these gangs, and many of these gangs are definitely not shy about using violence. Average Americans that live in these communities want to be able to have a fighting chance against these gangs.
But that doesn't explain why the DHS needs so much ammunition. Yes, our world is becoming increasingly unstable, but under what conditions does the DHS ever anticipate firing off 450 million rounds?
Something does not add up.Hmmmm..............Obama:"We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, and just as well-funded."Read the full story here.