The U.S. House of Representatives today passed S. 1691 – Border Patrol Agent Pay Reform Act of 2014. The passage of this important legislation is a critical step in increasing border security and protecting our nation from dangerous individuals, cartels and terrorists attempting to cross our borders.
Brandon Judd, NBPC National President, praised the House for passing this important legislation. “The men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol would like to thank Senator McCain (R-AZ) and Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Representative Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) for their tireless efforts. We are honored to have worked with these longtime friends and advocates of Border Patrol Agents, our nation’s first line of defense.”
“Taxpayers want Congress to work together to save money, make government work better and strengthen our national security,” said Tester, chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee that oversees the federal workforce. “Our Border Patrol Agent Pay Reform Act represents the common-sense leadership that should happen every day, and I look forward to seeing the President sign it into law.”
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, commented “In addition to saving taxpayers upwards of $100 million annually, this legislation brings more consistency to those who risk their lives every day protecting the border. This new pay scale is a long term solution that will iron out the kinks of the current system through old-fashioned planning and time management. I applaud my colleagues in the House for passing this common-sense, bipartisan legislation.”
Rep. Beto O‘Rourke said “There are more than 2,500 Border Patrol Agents in the El Paso sector. We ask these agents to put their lives on the line each day to secure our country’s borders but fail in our promise to provide financial certainty to the Agents and their families. S. 1691 would create a reliable pay system that more responsibly secures our border while saving tax payers more than $1 billion over 10 years. During a time of tight budgets, we need to use existing resources more efficiently and providing Agents with the tools they need to do their jobs is the key to keeping border communities safe. This bill accomplishes that goal.”
“I am pleased that the House has passed this common-sense solution to provide much-needed stability to our nation’s border patrol pay scale,” said Senator John McCain. “Spending cuts due to sequestration, coupled with an archaic and inefficient pay scale, put at risk the safety of Border Patrol Agents and threaten to reverse much of the progress these agents have made along the border over the last few years. I hope that the President will quickly sign this much-needed reform into law and expedite this effort to improve the security of our borders.”
“Just this last weekend we were reminded how dangerous it is to be an Agent. Our thoughts and prayers are with our brother Agent from the Tucson Sector, who was brutally attacked near Ajo, Arizona, while protecting our border from drug smugglers. Pay Reform finally puts a pay system in place that honors the sacrifices Agents make so our nation, communities and families are safer.” Judd concluded.
