Committee Approves Johnson-Backed Boots on the Border Act

Press Release

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) issued the following statement after the Boots on the Border Act, legislation he has sponsored along with U.S. Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) was approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee:

"Putting more boots on the border is a key step toward securing our border and getting our Border Patrol agents the manpower they need to get the job done. Resources have been stretched too thin for too long and CBP has been hampered by frustratingly slow hiring due to bureaucratic hurdles. This bill will help fix personnel problems so we can actually hire the qualified people we need to keep our border secure," said Johnson.

The legislation would help address hiring shortfalls at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) by waiving onerous and duplicative CBP polygraph hiring requirements for applicants with qualifying law enforcement or military experience.

Currently, over 1,700 Border Patrol agent positions and 1,000 CBP officer positions remain unfilled, according to the Department of Homeland Security. CBP is the only federal law enforcement agency with a congressionally mandated polygraph as a condition of employment. This, coupled with CBP's necessarily thorough vetting process has contributed to only about one percent of applicants successfully being hired.

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