"Thanks to the outrage of the American people, the deal to allow a state owned company from the United Arab Emirates to operate six of our most critical ports, including New York City's, has been called off. While this deal's demise is certainly a positive development, much work still needs to be done to protect our ports.

"While so much has been done to make commercial air travel safer from the threat of terrorist attacks, the securing of our ports of entry has been neglected for too long. Millions of cargo containers enter the U.S. every year, but only about 5 per cent of these containers are screened in order to determine their contents.

"The federal government has not provided enough personnel or equipment to make sure containers are not carrying weapons of mass destruction or other tools of terrorism into the United States. It's important to remember, that even when our ports are operated by U.S. interests, we have no control over who is loading ships in foreign ports, and it is imperative that we know what every container that enters our ports possesses.

"Congress must give our ports the resources to develop comprehensive security screening plans for containers entering our country. Due to a lack of funding, many of our ports are struggling to install cameras, security fences, and hire adequate security personnel. We cannot allow our ports to exercise pre-9/11 security measures in this post 9/11 environment.

"In addition, the U.S. Coast Guard has been long underfunded and under staffed. Its plan to upgrade its ships and aircraft are five years behind schedule. In order for America to win the War on Terror, our Coast Guard must have the resources it needs to prevent terrorists from infiltrating our nation through our ports.

"Just because the Dubai ports deal has been stopped, doesn't mean Congress should stop paying attention to port security. There is much to be done and I will continue to work to make sure our ports become a top priority for both Congress and the Department of Homeland Security."