When a DHS acquisition program falls short in terms of effectiveness
or efficiency, this not only risks undermining that program, but also
risks wasting the limited homeland security dollars that are available
to us. We owe it to the American public not to repeat our mistakes. This bill is intended to strengthen accountability for the
acquisition and use of border security technology by the Department of
Homeland Security. This bill would require all major acquisitions for
border security technology to have written documentation of costs,
schedule, and performance thresholds and demonstrate that the program
is meeting these thresholds. The bill also requires coordination and submission to Congress of a
plan for testing and evaluation, as well as the use of independent
verification and validation of resources for border security
technology. Addressing border security technology acquisitions is an important
step toward bettering acquisitions and
management overall. We owe it to the American taxpayer to make sure we
are managing these investments wisely and preventing wasteful spending. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 505 aims to focus and improve the way we invest and
manage border security technology by providing a specific framework for
accountability and oversight on behalf of the American taxpayer. I urge
my colleagues to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.
Keywords matched
border security