Hearing of the Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism Subcommittee of the House Committee on Homeland Security - The Border Security Challenge: Recent Developments and Legislative Proposals

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REP. THOMPSON: Thank you very much, Madam Chairman.

And like you, I appreciate the interest of our colleagues in this matter. One of the issues for a lot of us is whether or not we put together a plan for border security. Every one of your bills (ph) is part of a broader plan. We have tried to get the department to come forward and produce a plan or strategy for border security that we can use as the framework to fund.

Unfortunately, we've not been able to get such a strategy or plan from the department. So what we end up with is just like what you presented to us for consideration as a committee, is your idea of how we can address part of the problem. And they all have merit, and I applaud you for that. But the question is how can we successfully do it with a department that first of all -- they rarely request enough resources to do its job.

Secondly, we give them resources to do the job, then they either don't do the job or they do it in such a reduced manner that we have to carry it over to the next fiscal year. So my concern is that if it's a matter of resources, can we provide the resources to a department that's reluctant to train people?

The record is clear that every time the administration has requested individuals, Congress plussed up the number to try to address it. But when we look at who actually goes through the pipeline and actually get into the field, the number is woefully inadequate. So I'm concerned whether or not we can do it as a department even if we gave the resources.

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