Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the DHS Border Services Contracts Review Act, H.R. 4467. It goes without saying that the Border Patrol is overwhelmed when handling hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens coming across our southern border, and our national debt is increasing by nearly $1 trillion every 100 days. Congress must provide the oversight necessary and do everything in its power to simultaneously assist Border Patrol and also cut back on inefficient spending. Federal contractors have a role within DHS when the Federal Government cannot meet the requirements necessary to carry out its mission. In the last decade, DHS has increasingly relied on service contracts to carry out these operations. According to the Government Accountability Office, DHS' contracted services have increased by 40 percent between fiscal years 2013 and 2018, obligating nearly $70 billion in contracts over that 5-year window. In May of 2020, the GAO conducted a study on DHS service contracts that the Department uses for assistance. They examined eight DHS contracts and found that three-quarters of those contractors were never given any guidance by DHS on actions that are inherently under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government. GAO also reported that DHS has no consistent plan for contract oversight necessary to prevent overlapping work with contractors.…”