The administration of President Barack Obama, in place for the past year, has received failing marks for its ability to respond to bioterrorism quickly and effectively. (Charles Dharapak/Associated Press)

The United States government is not taking necessary steps to protect the country from the threats posed by weapons of mass destruction and terrorism, according to a bipartisan committee that studies the issue.

As a result, "it is more likely than not" that a biological WMD will be used in a terrorist attack "somewhere in the world by the end of 2013," the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism warned in its report released Tuesday.

The threat of bioterrorism is of particular concern, said former senator Bob Graham, a Democrat from Florida who is chairman of the commission.

"Each of the last three administrations has been slow to recognize and respond to the biothreat," Graham said in a news release. "But we no longer have the luxury of a slow learning curve, when we know al-Qaeda is interested in bioweapons."

Congress established the commission to study the threat of WMD to the United States.

Mixed response

Its report grades the current administration on 17 items under four major headings: biological risks, nuclear risks, government reform, and citizen and community preparedness.

The administration of President Barack Obama, in place for the past year, received top marks for:

• Achieving specific actions related to a review of domestic programs to secure dangerous pathogens.
• Finalizing and approving an interagency bioforensics strategy, to track biochemical weapons.
• A reorganization in the National Security Council, which advises the president.

The Obama administration received a failing grade for:

• Rapid and effective response to bioterrorism.
• Congressional oversight of homeland security and intelligence.
• National security workforce recruitment.

Furthermore, the commission is "enormously frustrated about the failure of Congress to reform homeland security oversight," said commission co-chair and former senator Jim Talent, a Republican from Missouri.

The report card came one day before Obama was scheduled to deliver his state of the union address to Congress and the American public on Wednesday night.

While economic issues are expected to dominate the speech, Obama could ask Congress to approve additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security.