U.S. Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01) introduced a bill on Tuesday that is aimed to increase the level of transparency associated with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The legislation, known as the DHS Contract Reporting Act of 2021, would instruct DHS to publish a public, daily report of all headquarters and component contracts related to the agency that exceeds $4 million.
“The American people deserve transparency as to how their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,” Harshbarger said of the inspiration of the bill.
The goal of the proposed law is to give both Congress and American citizens a better understanding of how DHS decides to utilize taxpayer funds.
“President Biden and his Administration must be held accountable for their contract awards, and this must be done in a timely manner. The American people deserve to know details about the contracts agreed to by DHS, including descriptions, vetting, bidding, contract amount, recipients, and their purpose, especially for contracts awarded to deal with the self-inflicted Biden Border Crisis. The Biden Administration must stop acting in secrecy,” she continued.
The DHS has faced heavy scrutiny for their role in the ongoing crisis at the Southern border. The Biden administration has used both the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services to move migrant children to various locations throughout the country — an attempt to relieve overcrowding at processing facilities along the border.
These actions have led a host of lawmakers, in addition to Harshbarger, to introduce legislation to create a more open, uniform process.
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) joined Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03) in introducing the Migrant Resettlement Transparency Act.
If enacted, the trio’s legislation would require HHS and DHS to consult with state and local officials regarding federally sanctioned migrant resettlement before the migrants are relocated to the specific area.
— — —
Cooper Moran is a reporter for the Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].Â
[…] has remained active in the legislative process, introducing multiple key pieces of legislation including the DHS Contract Reporting Act of […]