Coordinating Anti-Terrorist Fight.

• Position: Bill to create a new President's Council on Domestic Terrorism Preparedness - Brief Article

Making its way through Congress is a bill to create a new President's Council on Domestic Terrorism Preparedness. The council would be responsible for coordinating the anti-terrorist activities of at least 12 federal agencies, including the Defense, State and Justice Departments, the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council.

Currently, federal anti-terrorist programs spend an estimated $13 billion per year, and "a lot of them seem to duplicate each other," a congressional staff member told National Defense. "The agencies aren't talking to each other."

The chairman of the new council would be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, giving...