In order to strengthen national preparedness against agroterrorism as detailed in the National Research Council's report "Animal Health at the Crossroads: Preventing, Detecting, and Diagnosing Animal Diseases", the AVMA requests the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to fund and develop the infrastructure for a comprehensive NAHLN so that this nation will be capable of responding to any animal health emergency. Additionally, AVMA suggests that the USDA and DHS seek line item funding for the maintenance of the NAHLN.