Senate Panel to Focus on DHS Matters

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has indicated it will focus its attention to federal personnel matters this year primarily on DHS. It noted that the upcoming presidential transition will be the first experienced by DHS and it raised concerns about the department’s ability to cope, in particular regarding the need to fill numerous high-level positions that will be vacated. It also recommended rejecting the administration’s proposed cut in the IG’s office at DHS, boosting the department’s acquisition workforce and increasing the emphasis on training. The statement came in an annual document in which oversight committees report their priorities to the budget committees, which soon will start writing a first outline for the upcoming fiscal year’s budget called the budget resolution.