DHS FY15 Budget Targets More Officers, Improved Technology, Says Johnson
The record numbers of U.S. Border Patrol and CBP officers funded in President Barack Obama’s Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15) budget are designed to enhance port security, while facilitating and expediting trade, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told congressional committees on March 13. The hearings topped off four total appearances before Congress this week aimed at defending the DHS FY15 budget proposal. The budget requests $90 million for video surveillance to increase vigilance over border and port security, Johnson told the House Homeland Security committee.
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The secretary defended the roughly $1 billion to come from CBP user fee and Transportation Security Administration fee increases floated to pay for security improvements while testifying before both the House committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee. Congressional rejection of the fee increases would require DHS to cut the $1 billion in funding from an already “thin” budget or require Congress to boost discretionary funding for the department, said Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Chairman Tom Carper, D-Del.
“The budget maintains the record level of staffing for the border patrol, and makes targeted investments in what I call ‘force multipliers’ -- technology such as advanced radars, cameras and ground sensors. These efforts will build on the tremendous progress that’s been made on securing the border over the past years,” said Carper. “The president’s budget request includes proposals to help pay for these smart investments in part by raising the fees that Customs and Border Protection charge for inspecting passengers and goods at our airports and seaports. This new revenue would be used to deploy some 2,000 new officers at our ports of entry.”
The budget proposal is crafted to help the Coast Guard, CBP and ICE's Homeland Security Investigations build off recent successes in drug interdictions, said Johnson before the House committee. Budgetary cuts to the Coast Guard and CBP will limit the ability to stop illicit drugs from reaching U.S. shores, said House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas. The cuts to Coast Guard are particularly troubling, considering in 2013 the Coast Guard seized nearly 200,000 pounds of cocaine as opposed to the 45,000 pounds CBP seized, said McCaul.
“The proposal reduces the Coast Guard’s acquisition budget by $300 million just as old assets that should be replaced are retired, and proposes a $32 million cut in funding to CBP Air and Marine flight hours along the border -- reducing our situational awareness of what is coming across,” said McCaul. “This will allow more drugs to make it into our communities. This is particularly egregious since the majority of illicit drugs are seized off the coasts of Columbia and Honduras, not coming across our land borders.”
House lawmakers also pressed Johnson on increased federal funding for CBP at specific ports of entry. “El Paso is one of five cities recently that stepped up under a pilot program to fund CBP officer hours at our ports of entry, so we can get more people, more people, more shoppers and more goods into our economy to create more jobs,” said Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas. “Because El Paso has funded these additional officers, you might send officers somewhere else. I want you to send the officers that would have come there anyhow, even if El Paso had not paid for that additional overtime, additional man hours.” DHS should also quickly designate the John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California port of entry status so federal funding can replace local funding for CBP officers at that port, said Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif. -- Brian Dabbs