WASHINGTON – Nancy Pelosi, soon to be House speaker, said Thursday that she will bring to a vote legislation requiring 100 percent screening of all cargo containers at foreign ports during the first 100 hours of the session next year, prompting an immediate outcry from retailers and apparel importers who said it could cripple international commerce.
Pelosi said the first order of business for the House after it passes a rules package will be to pass the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission.
“But we will go them one better on port security, where we have even tougher proposals to screen 100 percent of the containers long before they reach U.S. shores,” Pelosi said at a news conference announcing her agenda for the congressional session that begins Jan. 4.
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