Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) are backing a bill in Washington Thursday that would nix a deal to allow a United Arab Emirates-based company to operate U.S. seaports.
Schumer says that outsourcing the operations of U.S. ports, including one in New York, to a country with involvement in terrorism is a security accident waiting to happen. President Bush offered remarks on the contrary, saying the United Arab Emirates is a valuable partner in the war on terror.
A White House counselor added that the United States Coast Guard and the United States Custom's Office are in charge of port security. Still, many lawmakers from both parties are doing what they can to see that the current deal with the ports is stopped.