(Washington, DC) – Today, the House Science and Technology Committee’s Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation held a hearing to review the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) FY09 budget request for research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E). Subcommittee Chairman David Wu (D-OR) and Members questioned DHS officials on priorities within the Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) and the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) – programs over which the Committee maintains jurisdiction.
The FY09 budget request for the DHS S&T Directorate is $868.8 million – a $38.5 million increase over the FY08 enacted funding. The budget request for the DNDO is $563.8 million, a $79.4 million increase over the enacted funding of FY08.
"Though I am glad to see the Administration is demonstrating a better understanding of the need for research and development in support of homeland security goals by increasing its requests for both the S&T Directorate and DNDO, I am disappointed that many of the issues that arose during last year’s budget hearing remain unresolved," stated Chairman Wu.
Research and development activities at DHS are carried out by DHS S&T and DNDO, with DHS S&T responsible for coordinating and implementing the majority of homeland security related research and DNDO is responsible for the research, development, and operation of technology that detects illicit nuclear and radiological materials.
Chairman Wu applauded the increased investment in basic research in the FY09 budget, but he noted continued complaints from state and local officials – especially first responders – that the agency has failed to consult with them on research priorities or technology development planning, even though these groups are the eventual beneficiaries of the tools and technology DHS develops.
"State and local officials, especially first responders – a crucial part of our domestic security enterprise – continue to feel that they are shut out of the process of identifying gaps in capabilities and setting research priorities," stated Chairman Wu. "I want to be assured that there’s an action plan for how the S&T Directorate and DNDO will ensure that stakeholders outside of DHS are fully integrated into the research planning process, and that their cost and operational needs are met before any technologies are considered ready for deployment." The Chairman also criticized DHS’ testing and evaluation procedures, noting that many technologies are transitioned to end users without sufficient performance testing under realistic conditions.
"At the end of the day, if users cannot trust that technology works, they will not take advantage of the many benefits we all know technology brings to the day-to-day activities of the homeland security workforce," added Wu.
Subcommittee Members heard testimony from The Honorable Jay M. Cohen, Under Secretary for Science and Technology for the DHS; Mr. Vayl Oxford, Director of Domestic Nuclear Detection Office for the DHS; and Mr. George Ryan, Director of Testing and Evaluation Standards for the DHS.
"I do want to commend all of you on some successes," Wu told the panelists. "We discussed last year the value of basic research to the homeland security mission. I see that in this year’s budget request, the basic research investment for the S&T Directorate will reach Under Secretary Cohen’s goal of 20 percent. A strong investment in basic research keeps DHS S&T flexible and capable of responding to emerging threats quickly. I want to reiterate that I am committed to working with DHS to ensure that R&D investments are successful in increasing our knowledge of how to confront security challenges facing our nation."
For more information please visit the Committee’s website at www.house.gov/science.
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