Homeland Security makes progress on management mandates

The Homeland Security Department has implemented 40 key recommendations from the Government Accountability Office and is working on more than five dozen others, according to a new report released Friday.

GAO reviewed progress made on 104 key homeland security recommendations, some dating back to well before DHS was formed. Rep. Jim Turner, D-Texas, ranking member of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, asked GAO for the study.

"While some progress has been made, many responsibilities given to the new department by Congress have yet to be completed," Turner said. "The GAO report gives us an accurate picture of where the department is and how far it needs to go to meet the challenges of protecting our country from a terrorist attack."

Of the 104 recommendations, 38 were made prior to the official formation of the department in March 2003. Of those, 20 have been fully implemented. Of the other 66 recommendations, another 20 have been completed.

In some cases, multiple recommendations dealt with one program. For example, seven of the recommendations DHS is addressing relate to the Computer Assisted Passenger Pre-screening System II, which the department announced Thursday is being redesigned.

Sixty recommendations fall under the responsibility of the Border and Transportation Security Directorate. To date, that directorate has implemented 27 of the recommendations.

GAO noted that DHS faces funding challenges to implement 24 outstanding recommendations.

The report says that recommendations not yet implemented have left potential vulnerabilities.

"Effective implementation of the remaining 63 key recommendations could also help to strengthen mission effectiveness," GAO stated. "For example, effective implementation of the remaining 33 recommendations related to the BTS directorate could result in reducing the nation's current security vulnerabilities in such activities as passenger screening, border security and ports of entry."

The Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Directorate has yet to fully act on any of its 12 pending recommendations. Turner said the inaction "means that significant security issues remain, such as a lack of prioritizing and coordinating critical infrastructure protection activities and continued vulnerabilities at chemical facilities."

Recommendations that were completed have shown results. For example, information available for making decisions related to immigrants has become more timely and accurate, emergency response efforts and planning efforts have been improved, unauthorized access to pathogens has been reduced, and the management of DHS' entry-exit system has been improved.

DHS Chief Financial Officer Andrew Maner said the department is working to close the outstanding recommendations. He noted that several relate to entities that no longer exist or units that were partially integrated into DHS.

GAO said it considered the validity and applicability of all key recommendations yet to be implemented in light of DHS' mission, and concluded that all recommendations are still valid.