Senators Push Reforms to Help Trump Achieve Promised Federal Hiring Surge

Government Executive: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has quickly earned a reputation as one of President Trump’s harshest Republican critics, but he is still looking to help the new administration accomplish one of its signature policy goals.

McCain, along with Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, introduced the Boots on the Border Act to ease the hiring process at Customs and Border Protection. In a January executive order, Trump called on CBP to hire 5,500 new employees to strengthen border security. The president asked CBP to begin the hiring immediately, though it will likely take years and appropriations from Congress to fill the positions. The agency is drafting a hiring plan to ramp up its workforce.

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