Homeland Security FY2023

House Appropriations: Homeland Security FY 2023, May 26, 2022

House Appropriations: Homeland Security FY 2022, June 11, 2021

FY 2023

Progress toward mitigating climate change is met with resistance at every turn. There is an industry denying its severity and cause and it is well funded. It is time for those who fund the opposition, but at the same time benefit the most from mitigation, have some skin in the game. This can be accomplished with a simple cut in the FEMA budget. 

Cap flood insurance so that people with expensive seaside homes must bear the cost of their opposition. This will force them to pay attention and require that they pay cash for these properties, as private insurance will not cover flood insurance. With huge national debt levels (owed largely by high-end taxpayers), it is time to end a subsidy that solely benefits the wealthy. Flood insurance as a whole would be retained for the middle and working class, but only so much. This also lowers the cost of beach vacations for the rest of us.

FY 2022 and 2023

The manner of appropriations must adapt to the next crisis, and with climate change, there may be many of these. Requirements in excess of normal allocations cannot wait for the political process. When federal disasters have state-wide or multi-state impacts, state and local governments cannot wait for grandstanding in the name of deficit reduction to run its course. A separate No-Year Supplemental should be enacted, including the recently created system to reimburse states for lost revenue, to prevent the events of the last nine months from recurring.

The crisis at the border must not be allowed to continue, nor the insanity of the last administration be allowed to ever recur again. Were it not for the ineptitude of the previous Secretary of State, I would suggest that Customs and Border Protection be transferred to the Department of State so that it can be more seamlessly integrated into our overall foreign policy. Such a move would also lead to a cultural change in the Border Patrol, both at home and abroad. Establishing Homeland Security was meant to end siloing. This reorganization has simply put it into the wrong silo. While an appropriation is not the place to direct a comprehensive government reorganization, it is the place to study it. Therefore, money should be appropriated to solicit a grant to study the culture of CBP, including the possible impacts of transferring it to the Department of State, including the required changes to congressional committee structure, including the Appropriations Committee.

Any immigration reform must also include border security. The proposal to build a wall was devised to compensate for the prior President’s cognitive deficits. Some form of security is still necessary, both for the safety of migrants who make dangerous river and desert crossings, while preserving the ecology and land use at the border. An active denial system is superior to any wall.

.In 2007, Raytheon was tasked with developing non-lethal active denial technology. Raytheon Company delivered its non-lethal Active Denial System 2 to the U.S. Air Force Aug. 31. Raytheon's Active Denial System was designed to use millimeter wave technology to repel individuals without causing injury. The original contract has long since expired because ground commanders in Afghanistan did not wish to use non-lethal systems. Raytheon has a current One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) contract vehicle Pool 3 Engineering for Military and Aerospace Equipment and Military Weapons, and Engineering for Naval Architecture (GS00Q14OADU328) Contact Ray Moehler, 571-250-1090. 

This system will go beyond using surveillance technology to dispatch Border Patrol agents to intercept intruders. It is a virtual wall and, when combined with detection systems, can be powered up as needed to repel unlawful immigration without building a physical barrier or requiring that the system be constantly powered up. It's very existence will deter travel outside official entry points. A demonstration project could easily be fielded at some point along the border (without prior announcement of the test) to determine whether the system works as required, including a predicted decline in attempted incursions.  This demonstration should be included in this year’s appropriation.

Immigration reform must also be pursued. The most recent proposals were designed to embarrass the current minority party in the House. Had the proposed legislation been serious, it would not have been so punitive. Had it not been a political stunt, it would have been opposed by progressives. It would have also been costly to implement. CIS could not have easily implemented it. A better option is possible and it would be cost effective as well.

Allow undocumented migrants to apply for the status that fits their circumstances (up to and including permanent residency) without having to meet current lawful status requirements. Once this status is achieved, allow application for naturalization to proceed in the normal course. To quickly manage the workload, empower local boards of election to process cases and order National Agency Background Checks with a processing fee not to exceed $500 per person.

Committee Reports and the Budget Process

Disaster and flood assistance, customs and border patrol, citizenship services, immigration enforcement, indeed most operations, can be identified regionally (excepting headquarters functions and overseas operations).

Explanatory material would address any imbalances in spending (for example, the fact that southwestern, northern and coastal states have the majority of customs service expenses.

FY 2022 

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic may or may not have been a once in a century event. It was certainly a stress test on our disaster preparedness system. The nation did not do well, particularly the legislative branch. Many of the flaws seen before were magnified this year. In prior days, members and senators would grandstand about bringing money back to their states and districts to reimburse them for the costs of extraordinary disasters. Of late, members have taken to grandstanding about NOT providing disaster assistance. Immediate aid should not have had to wait for congressional authorization or presidential action. 

Such action, when it finally occurs, should not result in federal contracting officers competing with states for equipment and supplies. FEMA leadership was asleep at the wheel and, because of siloing, no one had the initiative or authority to set up a structure where procurement was conducted WITH the states rather than in competition with them. General Provisions in the Appropriation must require that FEMA create such a structure.

Video: https://youtu.be/IYMwsZok3Nw