TESTIMONY OF KEVIN K MCALEENAN ACTING SECRETARY U S DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY REGARDING A HEARING ON “THE FY 2020 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY BUDGET” BEFORE THE UNITED STATES SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY May 2 2019 Washington D C Chairman Capito Ranking Member Tester and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee It is a privilege to appear before you today to discuss the Department of Homeland Security’s DHS essential missions and to present the President’s Fiscal Year FY 2020 Budget for the Department DHS is comprised of 14 major components employing more than 240 000 men and women dedicated to the mission of ensuring the safety and security of our great nation I want to start by thanking the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security for their extraordinary service to our nation The men and women of DHS are exceptional and dedicated professionals who are on watch 24 hours a day 365 days a year Their mission is to protect Americans from threats by land sea air and in cyberspace while also promoting our nation’s economic prosperity They work tirelessly to strengthen the safety and security of our nation from persistent and emerging dangers including terrorists transnational criminal organizations rogue nation-states and natural disasters Although our mission statement is simple the mission itself is extremely complex The Department’s reach is global spanning more than 7 450 miles of U S border and 95 000 miles of coastline to 4 5 million square miles of U S Exclusive Economic Zone EEZ and regions of the high seas known for smuggling operations Our reach continues into the cyber world where nefarious actors attack U S financial technological and electoral interests The Department is also responsible for the security of our traveling public and movement of goods through international trade It is our dedicated personnel who not only achieve DHS’s global reach they also create efficient and effective operations 24 hours a day I am proud to lead and represent the dedicated men and women of DHS as they are America’s frontline defense The FY 2020 President’s Budget for DHS requests $51 7 billion in net discretionary funding and an additional $19 4 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund DRF supporting response to and recovery from major disasters The President’s Budget proposes to strengthen the security of our nation through enhanced border security immigration enforcement cyber security transportation security resilience to disasters and senior leadership protection Highlighting some of the Department’s accomplishments provides a mere glimpse of the threats to our nation’s security At the completion of FY 2018 Customs and Border Protection encountered more than 683 000 illegal migrants and inadmissibles Homeland Security Investigations made more than 34 000 criminal arrests of which 4 300 were gang-related and law enforcement agents and the United States Coast Guard USCG seized more than one million pounds of illegal drugs Keeping our traveling public safe is another vitally important job for DHS For example in FY 2018 the Transportation Security Administration TSA screened more than 800 million aviation passengers while preventing almost 4 200 firearms from being carried onto aircraft In 2018 the United States endured significant natural disasters such as Hurricanes Michael and Florence and the deadliest wildfires in California’s modern history including the one that obliterated the town of Paradise Preserving life and reclamation efforts FEMA obligated more 2 than $9 2 billion in Public Assistance including funding to clear debris rebuild roads schools libraries and other public facilities and provided more than $1 billion in Individual Assistance to survivors These are just a few examples of how our men and women deliver on a daily basis for the American people Security of our Nation’s borders remains a primary focus of the Administration and the Department and doing more with less is an unacceptable method for achieving mission goals This situation on the border with unprecedented numbers of families and children represents an acute and worsening crisis CBP encountered nearly 40 000 children in the month of April alone Our immigration system is not equipped to accommodate the significant change in migration patterns from one largely composed of single adults from Mexico to one comprised mainly of families and unaccompanied children from non-contiguous countries Previous patterns— somewhat predictable in composition and predicated on seasonal variations—are no longer the norm Unlawful migration through the U S southern border has increased by over 60 percent from the previous year In addition the speed with which illegal migrants are transiting through Mexico to reach our southern border is frustrating our best efforts to respond quickly and keep pace with the overwhelming numbers of migrants arriving at the southern border The migration flow and the resulting humanitarian crisis is now even more dire and is rapidly overwhelming the ability of the Federal Government to respond In February U S Customs and Border Protection CBP encountered over 76 000 illegal border crossers and inadmissible aliens and in March that number exceeded 100 000—the highest monthly level in more than a decade Despite heroic efforts the Nation’s ability to humanely and compassionately care for vulnerable populations and expeditiously process and detain those who should not be admitted is being stressed to the breaking point Unaccompanied children and families are crowded into U S Border Patrol stations that were never intended as long-term shelters U S Border Patrol personnel no longer have the ability to identify process and transport all of those apprehended at the border to safe and secure facilities designed to house them but have instead been increasingly pressed into service to provide critical humanitarian medical support and transportation services for this uniquely vulnerable population The Southwest Border still lacks a permanent wall and persistent domain awareness in vulnerable areas The FY 2020 Budget requests $8 6 billion in DHS and DOD funding for the construction of approximately 300 miles of new border wall system A border wall is a proven deterrent that enhances U S Customs and Border Protection’s CBP ability to apprehend those entering our Nation illegally it is foundational to any strategy of achieving operational control of the Southwest Border Domain awareness complements a permanent wall through actionable intelligence The current crisis at the border demands persistent awareness to allow our agents to respond rapidly and effectively to any incursion and achieving this level of awareness requires a commitment to the procurement and sustainment of technology The President’s Budget requests upgrades to sensors such as the Remote Video Surveillance System RVSS and associated command and control C2 systems continued procurement of the Multi-Role Enforcement Aircraft and UH60 Blackhawk Helicopter upgrades Through continued domain awareness and border wall 3 construction DHS increases its chances of mission success of ensuring that our Nation’s Southwest Border and our citizens are secure Border security in itself is not enough We must continue to address those who already have entered our country illegally We must further immigration enforcement The U S Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s ICE average daily population ADP forecasting model reinforces a budget increase to 54 000 beds This increase allows ICE to handle continued migration flows enhance enforcement activity within our borders and remove those who have entered illegally and are presenting a danger to our communities The President’s Budget maintains safe and secure facilities for 2 500 families For lower-risk apprehended aliens funding is requested to expand the Alternatives to Detention ATD program to 120 000 daily participants The ATD program supervises certain individuals using a combination of personal visits and monitoring technology allowing individuals to remain in their communities while their cases are processed Additionally the Transportation and Removal Program requires additional resources in FY 2020 to ensure the safe and secure transportation of aliens who are either subject to Final Orders of Removal or require transfer within the United States Investment in our most critical resource human capital remains a high priority for me Funding is included in the request for 750 additional Border Patrol Agents 273 CBP Officers and more than 1 660 ICE frontline and support personnel Retaining our personnel is a priority and the Department continues to look for affordable and effective retention measures especially for our Border Patrol Agents The FY 2020 Budget also requests increased resources for international trade and travel requirements In 2018 the President signed the National Security Presidential Memorandum establishing the National Vetting Center NVC The NVC utilizes law enforcement and classified data to better identify potential threats to the homeland It brings together different streams of information and intelligence into a single process for adjudicating applications for travel to the U S Through this technology CBP can now receive near-real time responses from Intelligence Community partners for more than 35 000 ESTA applications each day Our nation’s defense continues beyond the physical borders and into the high seas It is the USCG that stands as our phalanx to those who threaten our maritime interests Since 1790 the USCG has performed its vital mission of saving those in peril while promoting our national security and economic prosperity in a complex and evolving maritime environment The FY 2020 Budget is committed to maintaining USCG readiness levels and continued modernization with new and more capable assets The President’s Budget includes more than $1 1 billion for recapitalization of Coast Guard resources including but not limited to the genesis of the third Offshore Patrol Cutter procurement of two Fast Response Cutters funding to continue efforts toward constructing the nation’s first Polar Security Cutter and aircraft sensor modernization Additionally this budget includes funding for a 3 1 percent pay raise for our military personnel Continuing efforts to improve public transportation resiliency DHS is steadfast in addressing areas of vulnerability Although heavily fortified the public air-travel system must evolve with 4 changing threats TSA is an intelligence-driven national security organization employing riskbased security principles to actively combat evolving threats to our critical transportation infrastructure TSA continues to experience airline passenger volume growth at airport checkpoints nationwide Additional Transportation Security Officers TSO are needed to uphold security effectiveness and compliance keep screening times on pace with volume growth and stay ahead of increasing costs and security demands at airports nationwide The $3 3 billion requested for the Screening Workforce adds 1 028 screener positions for a total of more than 46 600 TSOs the highest level in history The request proposes a $1 00 increase in the 9 11 passenger security fee in order to cover a greater share of the costs of aviation security This is a minimal fee increase and should be considered seriously by Congress The budget also funds an additional 320 computed tomography CT units The CT units are used in airport screening lanes to effectively detect smaller and more artfully concealed threats within carry-on bags DHS continues to improve its collective efforts in cybersecurity with the recent creation of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA In passing the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act of 2018 Congress recognized that the role played by CISA has never been more important Requiring collaboration between both government and privatesector organizations CISA is charged with protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure from physical and cyber threats Through this mission DHS is focused on improving our digital defense as cybersecurity threats continue to grow in scope and severity To assess evolving cybersecurity risks and protect Federal Government information systems and critical infrastructure the FY 2020 President’s Budget includes more than $1 3 billion for Federal Network Protection FNP and Infrastructure Security Included in FNP are the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation the National Cybersecurity Protection System – known operationally as EINSTEIN-and Federal Network Resilience These systems in conjunction with the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center NCCIC provide the technological foundation to secure and defend the Federal Government’s civilian information technology infrastructure against advanced cyber threats The resiliency mission is carried even further through the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA Its mission reduces loss of life and property and protects the nation from all hazards by leading and supporting the nation in a risk-based comprehensive emergency management system Before during and after disasters FEMA focuses on supporting and empowering disaster survivors by increasing their capacity to take effective and practical steps to help themselves their families and their communities The better prepared that citizens are to assist themselves and others in times of need the stronger our nation will be in the event of future emergencies Therefore the FY 2020 President’s Budget requests increased funding for programs that support FEMA’s three primary strategic goals of building a culture of preparedness increasing catastrophic disaster readiness and reducing FEMA complexity Requested funds support the implementation of FEMA Integration Teams FIT who develop relationships with state emergency management offices enhancing the coordinated state and Federal response The 5 budget also includes funding for the FY 2020 Disaster Relief Fund in support of disaster declarations for hurricanes Harvey Irma and Maria and for the California wildfires Communications between first responders is vitally important for immediate real-time information sharing during all threats hazards or incidents Thus I am committed to ensuring that our first responders can communicate effectively and the request for CISA includes $167 3 million for emergency communications towards this effort I greatly appreciate the Congress authorizing the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office CWMD last year CWMD leads provides the subject matter expertise and helps to equip the Department’s field operators so they may effectively defend against weapons of mass destruction including potential terrorist use of WMD The President’s Budget continues to enable our efforts to develop a robust and technologically advanced analytic capability combating chemical biological radiological and nuclear threats to the homeland and our interests Additionally funding is requested for the Radiation Portal Monitor Replacement Program RPM RP supporting CBP’s operational effectiveness at the Nation’s land sea and air ports of entry Ensuring the effective and safe movement of goods through our ports the RPM technology provides the cost-effective capability to scan cargo for radiological and nuclear threats without an adverse impact to the flow of commerce The U S Secret Service carries out the unique and integrated missions of protecting senior leadership and investigating threats to the nation’s financial system Best known for protecting the President the Vice President their immediate families visiting heads of state and other designated individuals the Secret Service also protects the White House Complex the VicePresident’s Residence foreign diplomatic missions and other designated buildings Further it coordinates security at designated National Special Security Events such as the State of the Union Address Vitally important to our economic way of life the Secret Service protects our financial infrastructure by investigating counterfeiting crimes related to financial securities of the United States identity theft and computer fraud The President’s Budget includes $33 4 million to hire additional Special Agents Uniform Division Officers and administrative professional and technical personnel to achieve an end strength of 7 777 the highest in Secret Service history The 2020 Presidential Election is only 18 months away and the Budget includes almost $151 million to ensure that the 2020 Presidential Campaign is adequately resourced for the protection of major candidates nominees their spouses and nominating conventions Finally since our founding DHS agencies have operated in temporary spaces and in offices scattered throughout D C metropolitan area This has made it difficult for 240 000 employees to operate as “one” Department But starting in April 2019 we have a new base of operations After many years we have finally moved onto the St Elizabeths Campus in Southeast Washington D C the home of the new DHS Headquarters The FY 2020 budget requests $224 million ensuring momentum into this first class facility St Elizabeths will become the primary hub of a more focused more unified more effective Department of Homeland Security We have this Committee to thank for the historic move and I look forward to welcoming all of you to visit I continue to be amazed by the professionalism dedication and conviction that the DHS 6 employees exhibit on a daily basis Their resolve and devotion to the homeland security mission is on display daily and the security of our nation depends on Congress properly resourcing the very people charged with safeguarding the American people our Homeland and our values The FY 2020 President’s Budget requests the necessary funding for the Department of Homeland Security to carry out its wide-ranging day-to-day mission We are challenged everyday with crises spanning Southwest Border security to daily cyber-attacks and I call on Congress to assure the security of our Nation by providing the proper funding required to do our jobs Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you and discuss the Department’s FY 2020 Budget submission I look forward to taking your questions 7