Washington–Wednesday, the House Armed Services Committee unanimously passed an amendment sponsored by Congressman Mike Conaway (TX-11) to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would streamline the application process for veterans applying to certain border patrol jobs within Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
“Under current law, a small group of veterans who have honorably served our nation in the military and wish to continue their service with CBP are forced to comply with a lengthy and redundant screening process,” said Rep. Conaway. “This amendment would allow the CBP Commissioner to waive the polygraph requirement for veterans who served as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) pilots and hold current and appropriate high level security clearances. Granting polygraph waiver authority has the potential to significantly speed up the hiring of UAV pilots, preventing an employment gap for veterans who can’t afford to spend months unemployed. It also ensures more robust border protection by increasing the number of UAV pilots within CBP.
“This fix strengthens our border security, reduces costs by streamlining the CBP hiring process, and retains the investment that the U.S. Government has made in training UAV pilots. It was terrific to see such widespread support for this amendment, and I look forward to its continued support on the House Floor.”
