Freshman Congressman Sees First Bill Through to Passage on House Floor

Statement

Today Congressman Tom Garrett (VA-05) saw his first bill through to passage on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

H.R. 1282 - the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acquisition Review Board Act of 2017 - seeks to save taxpayer dollars by providing common sense reform to combat waste, fraud, and abuse within the DHS' acquisition programs.

Upon passage of H.R. 1282, Rep. Garrett released the following statement:

"I am very pleased to see this bipartisan legislation pass without objection today. Our job as Representatives is to protect the homeland while making the best use of taxpayer dollars. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has repeatedly placed DHS acquisition programs as high-risk due to the frequent abuse and mismanagement of these funds. This legislation seeks to curb that trend and spend money responsibly with proper oversight."

A recent GAO report found that 9 of 26 major acquisition programs experienced cost growth totaling $998 million dollars and an average scheduling slip of 6 months.

Garrett continued, "I would also like to commend and thank my colleague from across the aisle, Rep. Correa, for his strong support and defense of this bill. While we may have differences of opinion on various aspects of this department, I am glad we can agree on the fiscal prudence and responsibility that is long overdue with the Department of Homeland Security."

Source