Introduction of the Department of Homeland Security Reserve Service Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Department of Homeland Security Reserve Service Act, a bill that establishes a reserve service for five agencies within the Department of Homeland Security: the United States Secret Service, Federal Protective Service, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Transportation Security Administration.

Personnel shortages in each of these agencies are well documented. Many current or former directors have made public statements linking personnel shortages to gaps in hiring processes, issues with retention of employees, and temporary or ongoing surges in need. The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform have issued reports spotlighting these issues.

The implication is clear. Many agencies within the Department of Homeland Security lack the workforce necessary to carry out their critical missions during surges in need. These shortages are a matter of national security.

By way of example, the United States Secret Service has faced hiring and retention issues for years. In August 2017, the Director asked Congress for additional funds because these shortages, coupled with surges in need, caused more than 1,000 agents work hundreds of hours of uncompensated overtime. Representatives Jon Katko (R-New York) and Elijah Cummings (D-MD) subsequently introduced a bill allowing the Secret Service to raise special agents' salaries and overtime caps for 2017 and 2018. While I support the measure, it does not solve the larger issue. Also, repeatedly increasing and lowering salary caps is inefficient and costly.

There is precedent for reserve services in the Department of Homeland Security. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) responded to Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Jose, and Hurricane Maria by mobilizing temporary on-call reservists and Cadre On-Call Response/ Recovery (CORE) personnel to assist with rescue and recovery.

The Department of Homeland Security Reserve Service Act establishes adapts this model for other pervasive, yet unpredictable national security requirements. The bill establishes a reserve service, comprised of skilled, ready-to-work former employees, including retirees that can be temporarily mobilized to fill personnel shortages and meet emergent demands.

This reserve service allows components to be innovative in structure and application. While some positions could mirror existing ones, components are encouraged to find new ways to call upon a reservist's skill set, in whole or in part.

For example, if a retired United States Secret Service agent has expertise in planning for the United Nations General Assembly, but is not able or does not want to carry a gun and/or meet the physical demands required in some protective missions, they could fill a critical planning role, freeing permanent personnel or other gun carriers for other assignments. Under this bill agencies are urged to find innovative approaches that decouple skills held by reserve service members from those required of full-time employees.

Rather than maintaining the status quo, this program represents an opportunity to curb costs by capitalizing on investments taxpayers and agencies have already made in the human capital of former employees while simultaneously preserving institutional knowledge and experience.

I urge my colleagues to join me in helping the Department of Homeland Security perform their mission critical duties of investigation, patrol, response, security, protection, recovery, and inspection by supporting this act.

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