Border Trade Alliance (BTA) is closely monitoring efforts at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as they prepare for a transition toward new leadership under the next presidential administration that will affect programs as wide raging as secure traveler initiatives to Border Fencing, which directly impact border communities and cross-border trade.
Faced with the agency’s first ever presidential transition, DHS has begun taking steps to prepare for this daunting milestone, but a recently released report (PDF Download) by the National Academy for Public Administration (NAPA) suggests there is still a long road ahead. Released in April, the NAPA report recommended 22 steps DHS should follow to prepare for the transition, finding that DHS has failed to take many of the necessary steps to ensure a successful transition, mainly in the area of staff. The panel found that as of March 20, 139 of DHS’ 775 executive positions were vacant, of which 83 of executive positions are politically appointed.
DHS has since hired a transitional director and other staff to aid in the process, but NAPA, the Administration Transition Task Force (ATTF) (PDF Download), and congressional committee leaders continue to stress the importance of presidential candidates choosing individuals for key positions as early as possible.
In addition to plans for transitioning leadership and staffing, BTA has received reports through its service on several federal advisory committees, including the DHS and Department of State’s Secure Borders Open Doors Advisory Committee, on efforts underway to continue the implementation of several major border security initiatives.
One such program, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), which was mandated by Congress during the current administration to increase security for international travel by requiring U.S. citizens to present passports or an alternative federal document when arriving from countries in the Western Hemisphere for which such documentation had not previously been required. BTA has long supported federal efforts to improve security for travelers entering the United States as long as those security efforts were implemented with sufficient resources to ensure against the disruption of legitimate travel and commerce.
WHTI has already been implemented for cross-border travel by air and sea and the security initiative will be implemented on June 1, 2009 at land ports of entry across the U.S-Canada and U.S.-Mexico borders. BTA is working to ensure that the interim steps to prepare for final implementation of WHTI at land border crossings are not disrupted or delayed during the transition to a new administration.
Larry Orluskie, a DHS spokesman, has said DHS will continue to implement transition recommendations. “The bottom line on this whole thing is that the change in administration is going to have minimal impact on the frontline operations,” he stated,adding that employees at DHS would remain dedicated to their work regardless of who wins the election.
While the present leadership at DHS continues to make reassurances, taking some steps to ensure the transition to new leadership does not dramatically impact operations and obligations at the five-year old department, Congress continues to alter the operating parameters of the agency. Most recently, the House Appropriations Committee approved the annual spending measure for DHS but imposed restrictions on the agency’s use of funds until it complies with several requirements to report in advance on how the funds will be used. The House is also poised to approve several bills that add new senior level staff positions as well as the establishment of a more robust information technology security at DHS. These ongoing revisions to DHS’ mission and structure have the significant potential to impact the department’s operations at the border and elsewhere. The BTA will continue to follow these changes and take proactive steps to minimize any potential impact on cross-border trade and commerce.
DHS is compiling handbooks for the transition and is scheduled to finish a formal transition plan in October.
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