Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. STRONG. Mr. Speaker, did I just hear the Member say ``fair, just, and humane''?

The Democrats allowed 15 million illegal aliens to enter into this country under the last administration, and now they don't want to fund Homeland Security. Connect the dots. They are begging for chaos.

As a member of both the Appropriations Committee and the Homeland Security Committee, I rise today in strong support of the Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act, to ensure that our frontline personnel are paid and that our Nation is secure.

While I stand here, the men and women who protect our borders, secure our airports, patrol our coastlines, and respond to disasters are being asked to do their jobs without certainty and stability. In many cases, they are being asked to do it without pay, all because Democrats want to block the deportation of violent criminals who are here illegally.

This is unacceptable. Our Nation faces growing and rapidly evolving threats. We are confronting increasingly aggressive adversaries who have built a global network of proxies, terrorist organizations, and illicit financing operations designed to target the United States and our allies.

On top of that, transnational criminal groups and emerging technologies are being exploited by bad actors to conduct surveillance, smuggle contraband, and enable criminal activity. These are not distant threats. They are real threats, and they demand a fully functional Department of Homeland Security to confront these threats.

America will soon host the World Cup, the Olympic Games, and our Nation's 250th anniversary, events that will bring millions of visitors and place unprecedented demands on our security infrastructure. Yet, right now, airports across the country are seeing a surge in TSO callouts.

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Mr. STRONG. Just yesterday, during a Homeland Security Committee hearing, the TSA Acting Administrator warned that newly hired screeners will not be trained in time for the 2026 World Cup because of staffing shortages. This alarms every single one of us because it means that we are knowingly walking toward a major international event without the staffing necessary to secure it.

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