Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the extraordinary men and women of the Department of Homeland Security. At a time of complex and evolving threats, our commitment to homeland security must be unwavering.

Despite this reality, some of my colleagues continue to block funding. This does not make us safer.

Thousands of employees at FEMA, TSA, and CISA are working without pay. These are people who save lives, prevent attacks, support communities in crisis, and safeguard the systems that keep our country running. These personnel serving in high-risk roles face an unacceptable stress of doing their jobs without the resources they need.

Supporting Homeland Security is not about ideology. It is about protecting the American people and ensuring our Nation is nearly and evenly taken care of during these threat periods.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to rise above partisanship and prove that the security of the United States will always come first. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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