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FEDERALhearing transcript

Senate Hearing on DHS Management and Acquisition Reform

Original title: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY MANAGEMENT AND ACQUISITION REFORM

January 1, 2017

Homeland SecurityGovernment ReformAcquisitionManagementCongressional Oversight

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The Frame

What this does

The hearing addresses the legislative strategy to reform how the Department of Homeland Security manages its internal operations and large-scale procurement contracts, which impacts how taxpayer funds are spent on national security projects.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Department of Homeland Security

The department is subject to new statutory requirements regarding its management and acquisition procedures.

Taxpayers

The efficiency of DHS procurement and management directly impacts the use of federal funds.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2017.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

This document is a transcript of a 2016 Senate hearing regarding efforts to improve management and processes within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The committee discussed legislative efforts to reforms to address long-standing issues identified by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Key Facts

  • The hearing took place on March 16, 2016, before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
  • The committee is working to codify management reforms for DHS into federal statute.
  • The GAO has historically identified DHS management and acquisition as a 'High-Risk' area.
  • The Senate committee opted to split the reform efforts into two separate bills, whereas the House of Representatives passed a single combined bill.
  • The goal of the reforms is to strengthen DHS management processes for the transition to the next presidential administration.
  • Witnesses included officials from the DHS Office of Management, the DHS Office of the Inspector General, and the GAO.

Why It Matters

The hearing addresses the legislative strategy to reform how the Department of Homeland Security manages its internal operations and large-scale procurement contracts, which impacts how taxpayer funds are spent on national security projects.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of this hearing?
The hearing was held to discuss legislative reforms aimed at improving how the Department of Homeland Security manages its internal operations and (procurement) processes.
Why is the GAO involved?
The GAO has placed DHS management and on its ',' and the committee is working with them to address these identified vulnerabilities through new laws.

News Coverage

Center1
1 source
Blind spot - only covered by center outlets
C

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Bias ratings based on AllSides / Media Bias/Fact Check

Sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Legislative Strategy Split

The Senate committee intentionally diverged from the House's approach by splitting a single reform bill into two separate pieces of legislation.

U.S. SenateU.S. House of Representatives

Connected Entities

personJohn Roth“Inspector General, DHS”Map →
personRon Johnson“Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs”Map →
personRussell C. Deyo“Under Secretary for Management, DHS”Map →
organizationDepartment of Homeland Security“The federal department subject to the proposed management reforms”Map →
personThomas R. Carper“Ranking Member of the Committee”Map →
organizationGovernment Accountability Office“The agency that identified DHS management issues on its 'High-Risk List'”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance40
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy10
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz5
    Current news / social attention level

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