Unnecessary Duplication of Technology Results in Taxpayer Waste
WASHINGTON, D.C.– The use of technology to secure our borders and airports alone costs taxpayers billions of dollars. This Friday, July 15, Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX) will convene a hearing to determine whether the Department of Homeland Security effectively leverages existing and emerging technologies, or whether DHS needlessly spends money to reinvent the wheel. Issues the hearing will examine include:
- DHS programs have greater vulnerabilities to waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report identifying technology acquisition at DHS as an area of high risk.
- DHS wasted taxpayer dollars by failing tocoordinate and consolidate purchasesof metal detectors,explosive detection systems, and radiation detectors for screening people, baggage and cargo. CBP, TSA and other agencies have purchased an average $387 million of detection equipment in each of the last three years. Source: March 2011 DHS Inspector General audit.
- Commercial off-the-shelf equipment or existing contracts could have fulfilled the identified needs in 59% of DHS acquisition programs. Source: April 2011 DHS Inspector General audit.
- Before spending nearly $1 billion on SBInet, did DHS attempted to examine. the US Army’s Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment (RAID)surveillance system, used successfully in Iraq and Afghanistan?
DATE: Friday, July 15, 2011
TIME: 10:00AM ET
LOCATION: 311 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
Live Web Stream on Committee Website
Witness Panel I
Mr. Charles K. Edwards Acting Inspector General U.S.Department of Homeland Security | Mr. David Maurer Director Homeland Security and Justice Team Government Accountability Office |
Mr. Rafael Borras Under Secretary for Management and Chief Acquisition Officer U.S.Department of Homeland Security | Mr. Henry Gonzalez Director Acquisition Support & Operations Analysis Science and Technology Directorate U.S.Department Homeland Security |
Witness Panel II
Mr. Marc Pearl President and CEO Homeland Security & Defense Business Council | Mr. Jim Williams Vice Chair Homeland Security Committee TechAmerica |
Chairman McCaul on the hearing:
"As an oversight committee our job is to help reduce the cost of government. When it comes to protecting our homeland, whether it's securing our borders or screening for explosives at our airports, this hearing will examine if the Department of Homeland Security leverages existing technologies to accomplish its mission or needlessly spends millions of taxpayer dollars reinventing the wheel. The Department has already spent millions of dollars developing new technologies only to find there are adequate off the shelf technologies that could accomplish the same objectives. We must streamline the DHS contracting process, find technologies that work and reduce burdens on the taxpayer."
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