Bill Overview
Title: Bureaucrats to the Border Act
Description: This bill renames the DHS Volunteer Force of the Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer of the Department of Homeland Security as the DHS Mission Support Force. It also requires new employees of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to serve in a 30-day detail with U.S. Customs and Border Protection or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to assist with immigration proceedings at the southern border; the bill applies to new IRS employees who are hired as a result of recent funding increases for IRS enforcement activities.
Sponsors: Rep. Moore, Barry [R-AL-2]
Target Audience
Population: People employed by or interacting with the Department of Homeland Security (including CBP and ICE) and the IRS
Estimated Size: 1500000
- The bill affects new IRS employees who are recruited based on additional funding to bolster IRS enforcement activities.
- These new IRS employees will be required to serve a 30-day detail at the U.S. southern border, impacting their initial work experience and responsibilities.
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will receive additional temporary support from these new IRS employees, impacting their operations and possibly immigration proceedings efficiency.
- There is a general impact on the functioning of the Department of Homeland Security due to the renaming and possible reorganization within the DHS Volunteer Force.
Reasoning
- This policy primarily impacts new IRS employees due to the requirement for a border service detail, as well as DHS operations through additional support from these employees.
- It is limited by the budget which is enough to cover some administration and support costs without causing a substantial expansion or hiring outside of initial funding provision considerations.
- Since new IRS employees are required to participate, their pre-existing workload and career trajectory might be impacted.
- The policy has a secondary impact on DHS operations (CBP and ICE) by providing temporary additional personnel which could ease some workload pressures.
- The broader population effects are limited as the policy primarily affects government employees and the operational efficiency of relevant government agencies.
Simulated Interviews
New IRS Employee (San Diego, CA)
Age: 34 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 1.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm worried about how spending a month at the border will affect my career progression.
- The experience could be interesting, but it diverts my focus from my main job responsibilities.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 7 |
CBP Officer (Washington, D.C.)
Age: 42 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 0.5 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The extra help from IRS employees might lighten the load, but I suspect it will take time to get them up to speed.
- It's a temporary measure; we need more permanent solutions.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 7 |
New IRS Employee (Austin, TX)
Age: 29 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Being new to the IRS, I'm anxious about having to go to the border instead of getting settled into my role.
- This might be a good networking opportunity, but it's not what I expected.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 9 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 9 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 9 |
ICE Officer (Tucson, AZ)
Age: 50 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 1.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- We've needed more hands for a while, the IRS workers will help, but they need proper training first.
- I'm wary of how effective this will be without long-term commitments.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 7 |
IRS Manager (Phoenix, AZ)
Age: 39 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 1.5 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Coordinating this effort has been challenging with the limited budget we have.
- These partnerships could improve inter-agency understanding and efficiency.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
CBP Field Supervisor (El Paso, TX)
Age: 47 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 1.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- It feels like a Band-Aid for a deeper staffing issue we face regularly.
- Additional personnel, even temporarily, improve morale slightly due to lessened burdens.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 7 |
New IRS Employee (Miami, FL)
Age: 32 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 1.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This relocation was unexpected and adds stress to adapting to my new IRS role.
- I hope to gain some new skills or perspective from this experience.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 8 |
CBP Retiree (Dallas, TX)
Age: 55 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 0.5 years
Commonness: 2/20
Statement of Opinion:
- As an observer, I doubt the long-term effectiveness of temporary assignments like these.
- However, any extra help in the shorter term is usually better than none.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 8 |
IRS Trainee (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 27 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The policy feels disruptive to my training at IRS.
- It is nice to see different parts of government work together, but I hoped to settle into my IRS role first.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 7 |
IT Consultant for DHS (New York, NY)
Age: 31 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 1.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- From an IT perspective, supporting these rapid role shifts is challenging but manageable.
- This will test our systems, but it's an opportunity for improvement as well.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 7 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $20000000 (Low: $15000000, High: $30000000)
Year 2: $20500000 (Low: $15500000, High: $31000000)
Year 3: $21000000 (Low: $16000000, High: $32000000)
Year 5: $22000000 (Low: $17000000, High: $34000000)
Year 10: $25000000 (Low: $20000000, High: $37000000)
Year 100: $40000000 (Low: $30000000, High: $50000000)
Key Considerations
- Coordination mechanisms between IRS and DHS will be crucial to minimize disruption in IRS operations.
- Potential morale effects on IRS employees who might not have anticipated this border deployment.
- The possibility of increased efficiency in border operations could lead to long-term systemic changes.