A bill requiring two federal departments to work together to expedite the hiring of veterans as Custom and Border Protection officers has become law.
The Border Jobs for Veterans Act — Rep. Martha McSally's first legislation to become public law— was signed by President Barack Obama late Friday night. Sens. Jeff Flake and John McCain also sponsored the bill.
Customs and Border Protection has yet to fill nearly 1,200 of the 2,000 positions Congress approved last year. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson attributed the shortfall to delays associated with applicant background investigations, low polygraph clearance rates and a shortage of federal polygraph examiners, combined with CBP officer attrition.
