Cong. Michael McCaul Pushing Border Security Bill as Chairman of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee

McCauls statement opening the Hearing the Bill & Amendment texts as well as the live video feed is available HERE. Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. Last week the House Homeland Security Committee which I chair unanimously approved legislation I introduced to compel the Department of Homeland Security to develop a strategy for gaining operational control of our borders. Most Americans will agree that we have an immigration problem and my legislation addresses what I believe should be a prerequisite to reforming our immigration system. Its my belief that we cannot address the other aspects of illegal immigration and how we deal with the illegal immigrants already here until we secure our borders.  We must not repeat the mistakes of the past when the promise of border security went unfulfilled.

Congressman Michael McCaul (TX-10) is Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security. His Bill H.R. 1417 addresses only Border Security is independent of efforts to reform our immigration system and is discussed in further detail here.      

H.R. 1417 the Border Security Results Act requires DHS to utilize technology to gain situational awareness and produce metrics to accurately gauge progress and account for taxpayers money. Next my legislation will go before the full House for a vote.  This is a vital step in ensuring DHS finally produces a strategy to secure our borders. During the Committee debate Democrats attempted to amend my bill to appropriate $3 billion up front.  This is the cart before the horse.  It is premature at this point in time to know what that number is.  I want to know what their strategy is first. The Republican argument used to defeat this amendment underscores the difference in philosophies between liberals who want to continue to blindly throw more money at the problem and conservatives who want to know:

1. What the plan is.
2. How much it will cost.
3. And how your money will be spent.

This is the kind of accountability that has been missing from Washington for too long! As I work through this process I urge you to please send me your thoughts on my efforts to secure out border. If you would like to read an article on my committees efforts to secure our border see: SECURING BORDER DRIVING HOUSES IMMIGRATION EFFORTS. Regardless of what happens in the immigration debate the goal of Chairman McCauls H.R. 1417 is to ensure that border security is realized that the mistakes of 1986 are not repeated and the promise of border security is fulfilled. Opening statements Bill & Amendment text and the live video feed are available HERE.

Chairman Michael McCaul Statement at Markup

of the

Border Security Results Act of 2013

Our homeland security hinges on how well we can control who and what comes into this country. A porous border is a conduit for not only drug smugglers and human traffickers but is also a vulnerability that terrorists can exploit. We have all heard the empty claims by the Administration that the border is more secure now than ever.  But this rhetoric is in stark contrast to reality. The extent of the gaps in border security is huge. A recent Los Angeles Times report showed that by using proven aerial surveillance equipment from Afghanistan we can now see just how much weve been missing. The data shows that the Border Patrol is apprehending less than half of illegal border crossers in certain sectors which is significantly less than current estimates. It is time to tackle border security the right way. For too long the emphasis when discussing border security has been on the number of resources thrown at the problem but this is only part of the equation. It is time to focus on actual progress. The Border Security Results Act fixes the current ad-hoc approach of plugging holes on the border and finally addresses border security from the top-down by compelling a national strategy. The bill provides the Department with a roadmap to finally gain control of the border and also requires a valid verifiable way to measure progress. We can upgrade our capabilities by incorporating existing taxpayer-owned technology such as Department of Defense Sensor Surveillance equipment used in Iraq and Afghanistan in order to gain comprehensive visibility of the border landscape. Once we have the complete picture of who we are missing we can allocate patrol and response teams appropriately and ultimately gauge our success. Requiring the Department of Homeland Security to finally develop and implement a serious plan to secure the border is the first step.  The strategy and implementation plan required by this legislation will inform how we apply the resources we send to the border. This will reduce duplication streamline our spending and ensure we are only putting taxpayer dollars towards what works with a clear goal in mind. That goal is a secure border where we apprehend the overwhelming majority of illegal crossers and illicit materials and at the same time facilitate the legitimate trade and travel that grows our economy. With that as a guide we have defined Operational Control in this bill based on the oversight work of the Committee. It is a reflection of testimony from the Chief of the Border Patrol a 90 standard for success. At last count the GAO determined that DHS had less than half of the southwest border under Operational Control and only 2 of the Northern border an unacceptable outcome by any objective standard. The bar we set in this legislation is tough realistic and achievable. Stopping 90 of illegal crossers and interdicting significant portions of drugs coming into this country will increase our security. We cannot let perfection be the enemy of progress. While we may never achieve air-tight security that cannot be an excuse to do nothing. Additionally we cannot continue to rely on measures such as apprehensions to give us a false sense of security. Instead security it must be based on hard and verifiable facts. This bill calls on the Administration to develop a series of measures at and between the ports of entry and in the maritime environment that are based on effectiveness. Passage of this legislation will ensure that the American people can be confident that when we say we are secure its actually based on something tangible and measurable. To ensure these measures are accurate the Border Security Results Act includes verification steps at every stage. The bill uses Congress investigative arm the Government Accountability Office to verify the viability of the implementation plan of the strategy. The metrics will be verified by a National Laboratory with expertise in border security and a DHS Center of Excellence will serve as an additional layer of scrutiny and expertise. We have seen the promises of border security coupled with immigration reform go unfulfilled in the past. We cannot repeat the mistakes of 1986 all over again. If Congress again addresses immigration changes without focusing on the root of the problem we will undoubtedly repeat this debate a decade from now. I believe the legislation that we are marking up today is the solution to the border security problem that the American people have demanded we fix.