U.S. Rep. McSally, Sen. McCain, Introduce Bill to Improve Accountability of Border Programs

Press Release

U.S. Representative Martha McSally and Senator John McCain today introduced legislation to improve the management of new border technology acquisitions. The legislation, which passed the House unanimously last Congress, ensures that new border technology programs are equipped with basic cost-control mechanisms, such as acquisition baselines and a plan for meeting schedule and performance goals.

"This bill is a no-brainer. These important accountability tools should be standard practice across the federal government to ensure taxpayer dollars are used as efficiently as possible," said Congresswoman McSally, who is the Chairwoman of the Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee. "Especially with a mission as critical as securing our border and keeping our country and communities safe, we have to make sure every resource goes toward completing that mission, not waste. My thanks to Senator McCain for working with us again on this important legislation."

"New technologies such as video and radar surveillance are critical to securing our borders," said Senator McCain. "However, widespread mismanagement and a lack of accountability within our federal bureaucracy has prevented us from using these technologies to stop illegal immigration, put an end to human trafficking, and reduce crime in communities in Arizona and across the Southwest. We owe it to the people of our state to responsibly manage their tax dollars by efficiently implementing border security technologies, and this bill is an important step in that direction."

In the 114th Congress, the Border Security Technology Accountability Act passed the House unanimously on July 27, 2015. It passed the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on October 15, 2015.

Specifically, today's legislation requires that new border technology programs:

Implement Acquisition Program Baselines before moving to the next phase of the acquisition cycle;
Adhere to internal controls identified by the Comptroller General of the United States, and;
Have a plan for testing and evaluation as well as use independent verification and evaluation resources.

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