As part of the foul business of politics, stuff such as banning lawsuits against Eli Lilly & Co., the maker of the bad mercury additive, is not unheard of. I just did an article about healthcare and politics that notes that Big Pharma gave some 80% of its $28M in political contributions this year to the GOP.
When you spend that much caiche, you want your work done for you, no matter how it's done. I agree, tort issues have nothing to do w/homeland security.
This is one reason why I despise politics.