Border Security et al Underfunded Says Thompson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Today, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, delivered the following remarks on the Floor of the House as they considered an Appropriations Bill for Homeland Security:
“In the three short years since the Department came into existence it has been in a constant state of transition and turmoil. Chronically understaffed at the border and in our airports, the Department has had to execute its critical national security mission without the people and resources it needs. Time and again, the dedicated men and women of the Department of Homeland Security have been asked to do more with less.
“There has been enormous turnover at the highest levels of the Department. One week from today, the 2006 hurricane season will begin and FEMA still is not fully staffed. The Department also has a significant number of leadership vacancies including the Chief Financial Officer; Chief Privacy Officer; Commissioner for Customs and Border Protection; and The Undersecretary for Science and Technology. There are so many ‘Actings’ at the Department that the Agency might want to start handing our Screen Actor Guild Cards. Seriously, it is no wonder that morale at the Department is practically dead-last among all Federal agencies.
“This bill funds the Department at $33 billion, a 5% increase over last year’s funding measure, but is far short of what is needed to make real progress in the ‘war on terror’ and partner effectively with State and local governments as well as the private sector. Had Mr. Obey’s request to infuse an additional $3.5 billion been accepted into this bill the Department would be better positioned to protect the nation.
“This bill does not even fulfill the funding commitments made in the 9/11 Act. It does not fund 2,000 more border patrol agents. It does not fund 8,000 new detention beds. It does not fund 800 new immigration investigators. No wonder the border is in crisis. If we are not willing to fully invest in securing the border permanently, what do we expect? The decision by the Bush Administration to send the already-over-taxed National Guard to the border is a ‘band-aid solution’ to hide the fact that we are failing the good men and women of the Border Patrol, ICE, and CBP by not giving them the resources and additional support to do their jobs.
“The Department is in its toddler years, barely out of its ‘terrible twos.’ It is going to take a significant commitment by this Congress to do the oversight and provide the support needed if the Department is to ever grow into the Federal agency that Congress envisioned and the American people deserve,” said Thompson.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Please contact Dena Graziano or Todd Levett at (202) 226-2616.
