The U.S. Senate approved the most radical federal restructuring in half a century Tuesday night.

The Senate voted 90-9 to create the Department of Homeland Security — one week after the House of Representatives approved a similar bill.

Twenty-two government agencies, from the Secret Service to Immigration and Nationalization Service, will come together under the new department, with the goal of fighting terrorism. It is the largest federal government restructuring since 1947, when the Departments of War and Navy were merged into the Department of Defense.

Barring any surprise later this week, the House is expected to give final congressional approval to the bill, sending it to President Bush’s desk.

Bush, a stalwart advocate of the bill, lobbied heavily for it in Congress, and all Iowa senators and representatives voted for it.

Michael Dale, president of the ISU College Republicans, said the new department will give the United States a “bigger base to stand on” when fighting terrorism.

“It’s one thing to have them all [the federal departments] working individually, but there might be a communications gap,” said Dale, sophomore in political science. “The communication will flow easier under one department, and there will be less bureaucracy.”

Dale also supported the amendments added to the bill last week, which generated controversy in the Senate and narrowly passed by a 52-47 vote.

The amendments include establishing Texas A&M University as a research center for the Department of Homeland Security, providing legal protection to companies that make ingredients for vaccines and allowing businesses that have left the country to avoid federal taxes to contract with the new department, according to The New York Times.

Kory Mertz, member of the ISU College Democrats, disagrees.

“Some of the amendments seemed useful, but some appear to just be for corporate gain,” said Mertz, sophomore in political science.

Many Democrats and Republicans in the Senate were incensed over the amendments, but voted for the bill anyway, after being promised that the provisions would be removed next year.

“My one concern is that they’re going to say everything has been fixed by creating this new department, when it really isn’t,” Mertz said.

The entire text of the Homeland Security Bills in the House and the Senate, can be found online at http://hsc.house.gov/legislation/final.asp and www.senate.gov.