Commission Report Finds U.S. Unprepared for Bioterror Attacks

A bipartisan congressional commission says the Obama administration isn't doing enough to address the threat of biological terrorist attacks. The Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction report concludes White House biosecurity policy isn't keeping up "with the increasing capabilities and agility of those who would do harm to the United States."

The commission was created last year to address concerns raised by investigations conducted after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It warns that anthrax spores scattered by a crop-dusting aircraft could "kill more Americans than died in World War II." The economic impact, according to the commission, could top $1.8 trillion.

USA Today obtained a copy of the report:

Among the commission's criticisms, according to the newspaper:

• President Obama's National Security Council has no senior political appointees with a biodefense background. "That was not the case in the Clinton and Bush administrations," the report says.

• Programs created after the 9/11 attacks to develop and buy vaccines and drugs to prevent and respond to a biological attack are not being funded adequately. Although the report is critical of the White House on this topic, Congress has the power of the purse. The report cites a funding shortage for a program to ensure there are enough drugs to respond to a bioterrorist attack.

• The Obama administration asked for $305 million in its fiscal 2010 budget request. "Insufficient by a factor of 10," the report says.

• Disease surveillance programs fall short.

Commission Chairman Bob Graham, a former Democratic senator from Florida, warns the White House to act more aggressively on the bioterror threat because, "the clock is ticking."