Aderholt Floor Statement: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2013

Aderholt Floor Statement: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2013
(Remarks as Prepared)

Mr. Chairman, it was 68 years ago today that more than 9,000 Allied soldiers were killed or wounded during the D-Day invasion in Normandy, France. That courageous operation, as well as the sacrifice of so many brave individuals, serves as a sobering reminder that freedom and security are not free.

It is with this solemn commitment to both freedom and security that I respectfully present to the people’s House the fiscal year 2013 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security.

Similar to our Committee’s work over the past two fiscal years, this bill demonstrates how we can sufficiently fund vital security programs while also reducing discretionary spending overall.

This bill does not represent a false choice between fiscal responsibility and security – both are national security priorities, and both are vigorously addressed in this bill by focusing upon four, key priorities: First, fiscal discipline – this bill reduces spending below the FY12 enacted level. Second, oversight – this bill continues and strengthens the Subcommittee’s long, bipartisan tradition of strict accountability. Third, support for frontline operations – this bill sustains and even increases operational programs, including border and maritime security, immigration enforcement, investigations, targeted aviation security activities, disaster relief, and cybersecurity. And fourth, preparedness and innovation – despite the bill’s overall reduction in spending, investments in preparedness grants and science and technology are substantially increased above FY12 levels.

In sum, I believe this to be a very strong bill that incorporates considerable input from nearly 200 Members, including many of our authorizing colleagues, to meet our Nation’s pressing needs for both security and fiscal restraint.

A few details on fiscal discipline and spending priorities—The bill before us today provides $39.1 billion dollars in base discretionary funding, nearly half of a billion dollars, or 1.2 %, below the FY12 enacted level and almost $400 million dollars, or 1.0 %, below the President’s request. There are no earmarks in this bill or the accompanying report.

The bill cuts the Department’s bureaucratic overhead and headquarters functions by nearly 18 % below the request and 7 % below last year’s level. Also, the bill substantially reduces the administrative overhead of DHS component agencies, including a $61 million dollar reduction to TSA’s administrative functions and a reallocation of TSA’s resources to increases privatized screening and canine enforcement teams. In fact, TSA is cut overall by some $422 million dollars below last year’s level.

Also, as I noted, the bill prioritizes funding for frontline personnel such as the Border Patrol, CBP officers, Coast Guard military personnel, and law enforcement agents; supports the largest immigration detention capacity in ICE’s history; sustains high-risk aviation security; fully funds the known requirement for disaster relief; supports long overdue initiatives in cybersecurity; and robustly supports intelligence, watchlisting, threat targeting systems, preparedness grants, and science and technology programs including the National Agro- and Bio- Defense Facility.

In addition, this bill reforms the way the Coast Guard acquires its costly operational assets and responsibly funds much needed cutters and aviation assets – those essential tools that will keep our coastlines safe, and secure our maritime approaches against the plague of illegal drugs.

This bill also provides funding where the Administration utterly failed. This bill makes up for the $115 million dollar shortfall handed to us by the Department through phony, unauthorized fee collections as well as the $110 million dollar shortfall resulting from OMB’s failure to properly access CBP’s fee collections. The Administration may be able to rely on these fee gimmicks in the President’s budget request, but we do not have that luxury.

With respect to oversight—Our Subcommittee has a bipartisan tradition of insisting upon results for each and every taxpayer dollar that is appropriated. Therefore, the bill includes robust oversight by way of intensified spend plan requirements; reporting requirements; a full accounting of disaster relief costs; and operational requirements, to include Border Patrol staffing levels and ICE’s detention capacity.

However, I must note that DHS did an unacceptably poor job at complying with statutory requirements enacted in FY12 – those failures are assertively addressed in the bill and report through sizable cuts and withholdings.

Further, this bill holds the Administration’s feet to the fire when it comes to enforcing our Nation’s immigration laws. In response to the Administration’s repeated attempts to water down enforcement, the bill directs ICE to maintain 34,000 detention beds and continue funding 287(g) and worksite enforcement at the FY12 levels. It is the prerogative of Congress to set such priorities, and I stand by this direction in the bill. Our Subcommittee is serious about compelling the Department to both enforce the law and comply with the law. And, we will not tolerate further failures in this regard.

Finally, on preparedness and innovation—The bill increases preparedness grants by nearly 17 % and Science and Technology programs by nearly 24 % above last year’s levels. Committee Members and our authorizers have provided considerable input on these programs, and I am committed to leveraging technology and well-justified investments to sustain our Nation’s preparedness, as well as spur innovation and foster an environment for job growth.

In closing, let me first thank Ranking Member Price. He has been a Statesman and true partner to work with on this vital bill. I sincerely thank him and his dedicated professional staff for their input and notable contributions to this bill.

In addition, let me recognize and thank the Members of the Appropriations Committee and many of our authorizing colleagues – their input was vital to our oversight work over the past few months as well as the production of this bill.

Finally, I must thank the distinguished Chairman and Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee, Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Dicks. As much as we had to make difficult choices and trade-offs at the Subcommittee level, I know they had to make many more difficult decisions across all twelve of the Subcommittees.

I sincerely believe this bill reflects our best effort to address our Nation’s most urgent needs – security and fiscal discipline.

I urge my colleagues to support this measure and I reserve the balance of my time.