Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) recently delivered remarks on the floor of the House of Representatives, aimed at ensuring that the staff of the National Background Investigations Bureau (NBIB) in Boyers, Pennsylvania, remains in Butler County.
The fiscal year 2018 (FY18) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) required the transfer of DOD background investigations from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to the DOD. This would split NBIB between DOD and OPM.
The Trump Administration recently introduced a blueprint reorganizing federal agencies, which included a proposal to keep NBIB intact and transferred completely to the DOD.
Kelly engaged with Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-TX) on the matter and praised the Administration for announcing its intentions to keep NBIB intact and transfer it wholly to the Department of Defense (DOD).
Kelly’s remarks established for the public record his conversations with administration officials over the course of last month to promote the prioritization of the Boyers workforce.
“These 1,500 people perform an incredible service to our nation—and these jobs are critical to Butler County,” Kelly said. “This workforce has the expertise and experience to perform this sensitive work that keeps our nation secure. Any efforts to reduce the backlog in background investigations must utilize this talented and hardworking workforce.”
The next step to make this proposal to keep NBIB intact permanent would be an Executive Order issued by President Trump. Kelly said he would continue to work with administration officials on the issue.
In May, Kelly most recently met with the Director of OPM and met with the DOD Director for Defense Intelligence in June regarding the transfer. He has a meeting scheduled with the Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in July to discuss the issue.
“We respect the dedication and accomplishments of all National Background Investigations Bureau workers including the hard work of the staff in Butler County, Pennsylvania,” Granger said. “There’s currently a backlog of over 700,000 pending security clearance cases. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson told my subcommittee that the Air Force has 79,000 people still waiting for security clearances, and that number has almost doubled in the last 18 months. We want to work with your office to make sure we address that as much as possible, and I look forward to your continued partnership in this matter.”