Congresswoman Hochul Receives Unanimous Support For Homeland Security Amendment

Statement

Today, the House Committee on Homeland Security, with bipartisan support, unanimously passed Congresswoman Kathy Hochul's amendment that instructs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to consider the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) northern border security recommendations when drafting a border strategy to submit to Congress.

"Our northern border remains at risk," said Congresswoman Hochul. "In fact, the Border Patrol recently reported that only 32 of the nearly 4,000 northern border miles have reached an acceptable level of security. That needs to change to ensure the highest level of security for nation's borders and ports of entry. Our government needs to make the most of the resources we have available. We can no longer afford to duplicate border protection efforts on one mile of the border when the next mile goes unprotected."

According to the DHS, the terrorist threat on our northern border is higher than on the southern border -- due in large part to the large expanse of area it spans and limited law enforcement coverage available.

Congresswoman Hochul's amendment instructs DHS to consider the GAO's recommendations when formulating their strategy for our northern border, in addition to the southern border, so as to work towards greater efficiency, enhanced security, and the conservation of limited public resources.

Hochul also supported the Risk Based Screening for Members of the Armed Forces Act, which directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to develop a plan for expedited screening at airports for members of the military traveling on official orders, and any accompanying family members.

"The brave men and women of our Armed Forces risk their lives to protect our nation every day," Hochul continued. "The least we can do to ease their burden is ensure those traveling on official military orders pass through airport security expediently."

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