McSally questions DHS, GAO officials on border tech delays

U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) questioned officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) on Tuesday about delays and cost-overruns in border technology acquisition programs.

“Customs and Border Protection’s border technology procurement office, to put it mildly, has a checkered past that includes more failures than successes, including the Secure Border Initiative, Coastal Interceptor Vessel, Ultralight Aircraft Detection, and the Mobile Surveillance Capability, which have all become synonymous with a deeply troubled acquisition process,” McSally said. “These procurements have run over budget, behind schedule, been subject to litigation, and wasted a good deal of taxpayer dollars to boot. In this time of limited budgets, we cannot afford to waste a billion dollars on a failed system to learn what not to do.”

In response to DHS procurement issues, McSally introduced the Border Security Technology Accountability Act, H.R. 1634, which seeks to improve management and accountability of new border technology projects. The legislation passed the House unanimously on July 27.

McSally also questioned top DHS officials about their plan to achieve full situational awareness along the Arizona border. A previous hearing chaired by McSally revealed DHS has approximately 50 percent awareness of activity along the southern border.