Just a question, do you have a 100% checkout rate in the US? You keep saying that there is no shortage of applicants..well guess what.. We have no shortage of applicants in Canada either. The problem is.. do they all checkout? Your checkout level will be ALOT higher if FAA was hiring expats.
I have worked in the middle east for 18 months and have probably handled more US military traffic than most working a civil ATC career in the US. I don't have a US security clearance...actually there is no process for anyone to have any type of clearance out here. In Canada I worked a sector that shared a boundary with Cleveland center. There were many military restricted areas close to and on the boundaries. We had full information on what was going on there. We don't have US security clearances.
I agree with a previous post, all it will take is a will and a stroke of a pen. When you start hurting bad enough for staff things might change.