WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Today, Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK), chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability, delivered the following opening statementduring a hearing to examine areas of waste, fraud, and abuse within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that was created or exacerbated by the Biden administration, as well as offer actionable solutions that can be implemented by Congress and the Trump administration.  

Watch Chairman Brecheen’s full opening statement in a hearing entitled “Eliminating Waste, Fraud, and Abuse at the Department of Homeland Security: Addressing the Biden-Harris Administration’s Failures.”

As prepared for delivery:

I am honored to be Chairman of this Subcommittee, and to be  joined by colleagues, distinguished guests, and experts. I also congratulate Ranking Member Thanedar on his new role. There’s a lot of work to be done this Congress, and this Subcommittee is excited to be at the forefront of assisting in the reformation of the Department of Homeland Security. I would also like to thank full Committee Ranking Member, Bennie Thompson, for joining us today. 

For too long, the federal government has spent money on  programs, contracts, and grants that do not promote the interests of  the American people.

For four years under the Biden-Harris  administration, I watched taxpayer dollars entrusted with the Department of Homeland Security become subject to waste, fraud, and abuse. There is no doubt that inefficient and ineffective use of  taxpayer resources undermine the national interest. 

Under Republican leadership in the last two years, this oversight Subcommittee pressed hard for transparency and offered the Biden-Harris administration solutions that fell on deaf ears. The  Government Accountability Office and the Office of Inspector General also have remaining open recommendations––recommendations that very well could save taxpayer money and  assist the Department in mission success. 

For the last several years, non-profit organizations like the  Heritage Foundation, America First Legal, and the Council to Modernize Governance––who will join us today on the second panel of witnesses––have demanded transparency and accountability, but were consistently stonewalled by the government. 

Today, we will examine some of the rampant waste, fraud, and  abuse at the Department of Homeland Security that occurred under the Biden-Harris administration to evaluate solutions. We must tirelessly defend against the waste of Americans’ hard-earned resources entrusted to the government.  

The failures of the Biden-Harris administration are staggering. Because the previous administration refused to enforce immigration law, America’s sovereign borders have been in chaos. 

From February 2021 to January 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered more than 11 million illegal aliens nationwide. 

Most of those 11 million illegal aliens were released and provided shelter, food, plane and bus tickets, cell phones, and cash by non governmental organizations––or NGOs––who received billions of  taxpayer dollars.

One Office of the Inspector General report found that DHS wasted at least $17 million dollars paying one NGO for unused bedspace for illegal aliens. 

That’s $17 million dollars that could have been spent on agent salaries, better equipment for federal law enforcement, or improved training to help protect officers and keep communities safe. 

In an attempt to shield the immigration crisis from the public, the Biden-Harris administration created mass parole schemes to fly illegal aliens to the interior of the United States. 

These schemes were a clear abuse of power that left American citizens and vulnerable communities exposed to criminals, cartels, and potential terrorists. 

A notable component of this parole scheme was Operation Allies Welcome, used to bring Afghan nationals into the United States after President Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in  2021. Multiple Inspector General reports found that DHS released Afghan nationals into the United States without adequate screening, vetting, or monitoring, leaving our country vulnerable to  national security risks. 

In addition to their failure to protect America’s borders, the Biden Harris administration favored the use of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s resources to support sanctuary cities and  NGOs for sheltering and caring for illegal aliens.

FEMA’s crisis of focus has been worsened by its fragmented approach to disaster assistance, resulting in the Government Accountability Office, adding federal disaster delivery to its 2025  high-risk list for waste, fraud, and abuse. 

Another DHS component that experienced a crisis of focus under the Biden-Harris administration is the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). 

In the 118th Congress, this Committee investigated and uncovered efforts by CISA to pressure social media companies to remove posts by Americans containing, “mis-, dis-, and malinformation” related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Republican lawmakers, thankfully, forced DHS to scuttle their attempts to stand up a “Disinformation Governance Board” to further police the lawful speech of Americans online. 

CISA’s focus on censorship instead of its statutory mission to protect American critical infrastructure from cyber threats, was misguided at best, and nefarious at worst. Either way, the divergence from CISA’s intended mission increased the risks to our cyber security. Over the last several years, the OIG found severe cyber vulnerabilities in DHS networks, including at the TSA, ICE, and CBP.

President Trump has now augmented our efforts to return America to common sense policies. He introduced executive orders to secure our borders, uphold the rule of law, defend against the waste of hard-earned taxpayer resources, and create transparency throughout the executive branch.

On his first day in office, President Trump stated that he would martial all resources available to prevent unlawful entries across the borders of the United States, to pursue criminal charges against  illegal alien criminals, and to regain operational control of the border from cartels and smugglers.

President Trump also organized the FEMA Review Council to advise and report on the potential reorganization of FEMA. Refocusing the federal government’s disaster response efforts on helping Americans, including by vesting greater power in state governments to perform disaster response, is long overdue.  

Finally, I must recognize that the executive branch has acted swiftly in recent weeks to undo much of the Biden-Harris administration’s waste of taxpayer dollars. 

The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has been instrumental in exposing and suspending DHS outlays on DEI programs, duplicative awards, and services for illegal immigrants.

Today, we’ll examine how under the Biden-Harris administration, DHS failed in its basic mission. We’ll also explore opportunities for greater efficiency and cost savings in the Department of  Homeland Security and across the federal government. 

I welcome our members and appreciate the important work ahead of us. I also welcome our guests today. Thank you all for joining us. 

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