Secure Border Initiative Financial Accountability Act Of 2006
SECURE BORDER INITIATIVE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2006 -- (House of Representatives - September 28, 2006)
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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member of the subcommittee for allowing me to speak on this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Rogers for his commitment to stemming waste, fraud and abuse in the Department of Homeland Security.
This bill, H.R. 6162, would require the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General to immediately review any Secure Border Initiative contract valued at $20 million or more. By requiring a review once this amount has been triggered, the Inspector General can immediately review the cost requirement, performance objectives and timelines for the SBI project.
This trigger builds accountability into every contract made for the Secure Border Initiative and will provide the American public with some certainty about where their money is going. This bill also will allow the Inspector General to express its concerns if they find unsatisfactory practices early on.
They will not have to wait until all the money is out the door and excuses are being made before they get involved in the oversight of this multibillion dollar project.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to emphasize that this review would include the assessment of the inclusion of small, minority, and women-owned businesses in any subcontracting plans, an area of constant challenge for the Department.
I guess some people would wonder why this kind of oversight is necessary or whether we are being fair. Let me tell you why this kind of oversight is necessary for a project of this size.
First of all, SBInet is expected to cost around $2.5 billion. Under the predecessors to Secure Border, ISIS and American Shield, we have spent over $429 million and protected only 4 percent of the border. That is about $100 million for every 1 percent of the border. It is not an understatement to say that this has not been a cost-effective use of funds.
The Inspector General has found that the Department's failure in these past programs has been due to poor planning, bad equipment purchases, and spotty implementation. We are told once again that this program will solve the problems of our porous border through the use of integrated and coordinated technology and manpower. It seems like I have heard this before, Mr. Speaker.
We have not seen a detailed rendering of the Department's overall strategy. And in fact, this procurement allows the industry to pitch solutions based not on the Department's objectives. As I have said many times, I support the use of technology as a force-multiplier in the effort to secure our borders. However, I also support the effective use of our taxpayers' money. We all want to see this initiative fare better than its failed predecessors, but that will only happen with effective oversight and management of this program.
I commend Mr. Rogers again and I commend my ranking member, Mr. Meek, for their support of this legislation. I look forward not only to the passage of this legislation, but I look forward to working with both these gentlemen to make sure that with any other large contracts we provide similar oversight to make sure that the taxpayers' dollars are well spent.
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