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Senate appropriators and Homeland Security Department officials plan to meet Thursday to discuss a department request to shift more than $42 million in funds to address a budget shortfall at the Federal Protective Service.

Late payments from agencies that reimburse FPS for its building protection services, an undersized staff and financial mismanagement are to blame for the gap in the agency's budget, and the subsequent June 30 request to reprogram funds from other accounts within DHS, an agency management source said. The requested shift would draw funds from areas including explosives detection and detention of illegal immigrants.

In a June 30 letter to Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., ranking member of the subcommittee handling homeland security appropriations, DHS Acting Management Undersecretary Scott Charbo said the transfer was necessary because of "the structural transition of FPS from the General Services Administration," its former parent agency, to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau within DHS, and "financial management issues."

FPS is an "accounts receivable" agency, meaning it provides services for which other federal entities must reimburse it. The agency, which provides security for federal buildings from courts to administrative offices, has seen contracts for security workers grow from 4,000 before Sept. 11 to more than 15,000 today, the management source said.

At the same time, FPS has fewer than 1,500 employees in more than 50 locations, said the source, making it nearly impossible for the staff to follow up on the larger contract workload.

FPS also lacks sufficient enforcement abilities for accounts past due. It is required to provide security at federal buildings, the source said, even if clients are behind on payments. "A lot of agencies" are behind on their bills, he added, and FPS is considering scaling back security patrols for chronically tardy bill payers.

"No money, no service ... that's how it's going to be," the source said. "We're going to just have to shut down service."

The source added that so far, no agency has had its security removed as a result of failure to pay bills. Some, however, might see the number of uniformed guards decreasing if FPS' notifications continue to go ignored, he said.

Dean Smith, a spokesman for ICE said, "ICE has been able to demonstrate that the funding structure FPS inherited from [GSA] does not fully cover the costs of FPS," and ICE and DHS are "working aggressively" to fix the agency's problems.

ICE would not comment on any issues surrounding agencies' and courts' failure to pay bills for FPS in a timely manner.

Byrd expressed frustration at DHS' request to rearrange funds to meet FPS' shortfall. "There is another example of the rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul approach that the administration takes to securing our homeland," he said. He instead advocated that the agency increase its fees for the services it provides.

Neither chamber has acted on the reprogramming request.

COMMENTS

• We're all in danger of losing money to pay for the ineptitude of our current government. At DFAS, the entire agency is being cut in half due to BRAC, Lean6 and other ridiculous "initiatives." We have more SESers than we need but it’s those of us in the trenches who will be downgraded, RIF'd, and receive less pay. These are scary times to be a government employee. GovExec.com reader Posted August 11, 2006 7:30 AM
• While I agree after reading the comments/ frustration of the ICE/OI agent, I would like to add that FPS is way beyond another "investigation." It is no secret that for years FPS has been treated like the step child agency, and has not has not been funded like any other government agency. Yes, something has to be done. Congress has to stop this "pay as you go" madness, fully fund FPS with a true operating budget, and remove FPS from ICE, (since we have no remote correlation to immigration or customs enforcement). We simply provide protection to the very federal office building (that this agent, and every other government employee, resides in.) No other agency duplicates, or more importantly has the jurisdiction to provide these services. FPS is a bargain for the government since 1,100 officers protect 8,000 facilities throughout the nation. The shame is that the experts didn't see it that way, and failed to provide adequate funding to continue a safe post 9/11 working environment, just not themselves, but for every other federal employee. GovExec.com reader Posted August 7, 2006 4:01 PM
• If there's anyone who doesn't think that this merits a full and complete OIG and GAO audit/investigation or congressional hearings (with criminal charges as required), then you're more out of touch with reality than anyone can imagine. As you may have noticed, I post less and less to this website, mainly because I'm increasingly spending my very valuable free time on working to bail out of this disaster of an agency. My ICE/OI SAC was recently put on notice that main DHS will be seeking a large chunk of our fourth quarter fiscal 2006 funds to help bail out FPS, an entity with as much in common with ICE/OI as an elephant has with a fish. Will someone please tell me why ICE/OI is constantly punished having to bail out other DHS components from their financial malfeasance, while leaving us with squat to do our jobs? Am I missing something here, or is there something literally criminal with this picture? Supremely pathetic, shameful and disgraceful; I get sick just reading this trash. GovExec.com reader Posted July 19, 2006 8:45 PM