Why it Matters

The U.S. northern border faces staffing gaps that have strained Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations and left critical infrastructure under-resourced. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported on June 30 that CBP has struggled to maintain adequate staffing amid a more complex operating environment, and it flagged persistent personnel and performance-measurement problems along the northern border. Without enough staff, CBP has a harder time monitoring nearly 4,000 miles of border, responding to threats, and maintaining the infrastructure that supports lawful travel and commerce. Congress is pressing the agency for answers after the GAO said CBP lacks adequate northern-border-specific metrics and staffing strategies.

The Big Picture

Customs and Border Protection has faced longstanding staffing and performance-measurement challenges on the northern border, according to GAO. From fiscal 2019 through fiscal 2024, the number of Border Patrol agents assigned to and working the northern border fell by about 6 percent, even as authorized staffing increased. GAO also found that CBP’s northern-border measures do not fully capture performance across all relevant environments, including maritime areas, and that some Air and Marine Operations measures are not specific to the northern border.

Testimony on June 30 before the House Homeland Security Committee’s two subcommittees, Border Security and Enforcement and Counterterrorism and Intelligence, showed Congress is actively scrutinizing those gaps. The report is based in part on GAO’s prior work from 2019 and 2026, and it says CBP has not yet fully implemented all of GAO’s recommendations.

CBP also received new funding through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the Secure America Act, which are meant to expand hiring and resources across the agency. According to CBP, One Big Beautiful Bill funding alone will support hiring 5,000 additional CBP officers, 3,000 Border Patrol agents, and 200 Air and Marine Operations agents.

The Bottom Line

The GAO report documents a 6 percent drop in patrol staffing on the northern border between fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2024, despite increased authorized staffing levels. It also found CBP's performance measures do not fully account for maritime areas or Air and Marine Operations activity specific to the northern border. Those findings come as CBP receives new funding through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the Secure America Act, and as the Border Security and Enforcement Subcommittee and the Counterterrorism and Intelligence Subcommittee examine the agency's response. CBP has not yet fully implemented GAO's earlier recommendations.

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