Testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee regarding President Trump’s 2020 fiscal year budget, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan stated that the 2020 budget would continue to assist in building up an innovative tower effort at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“The 2020 budget would continue to fund our innovative tower effort to provide surveillance capabilities, in those areas that we don’t have border barrier, to extend our view of the border and to cue agents on where to respond,” McAleenan said.
The acting secretary also said that the proposed budget would help provide high-resolution censors on aircrafts that can patrol and provide intelligence from up in the air. Answering questions from Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., McAleenan said that every mile of the physical wall has a “smart” technology component.
In terms of election security, the acting secretary told the House Homeland Security Committee that securing the .gov infrastructure was of paramount interest when it comes to the budget’s appropriations towards cybersecurity.
