In a letter claiming that continuing security clearance
delays for government contractors could affect national
security, House Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom
Davis, R-Va., called on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
to take immediate steps to speed up the process, and closed
by saying that Congress would step in to legislate if the
backlog persists.
Davis wrote the letter after learning that it takes over a
year on average for a contractor to get security clearance,
that companies pay high premiums to hire those who already
have a clearance, and that the backlog is well over
100,000 deep.
He suggested immediately deploying “personnel and working
capital to meet the growing investigative and adjudicative
needs of the Defense Security Service.” The letter also
said DoD could “guarantee reciprocity” for holders of valid
U.S. agency security clearance and immediately begin to
work with OPM and private stakeholders to streamline the
system, automating it wherever possible.