Department Of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2008

Floor Speech

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008 -- (House of Representatives - June 13, 2007)

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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, it's been 5 years since the Department of Homeland Security was established. November's election demonstrated that the Nation agreed with the Democrats' new direction for America.

In the movie A Few Good Men, Tom Cruise asked Jack Nicholson for the truth. Nicholson's response: You can't handle the truth.

Mr. Chairman, can the minority handle the truth? I submit to you today that the minority cannot, in fact, handle the truth. Mr. Chairman, the truth is that the minority can hear the heart of the American people no more than they could before November.

Truth is, Mr. Obey has made this process way more transparent than it was under the minority's watch. The truth is, we have much more of an efficient process. Most importantly, the truth is that there are no earmarks in this bill that we're debating here today.

The appropriations measure has been on the floor for 12 hours and still

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counting. Eight motions for the committee to rise later, the minority continues to stifle progress, the minority continues to foster trivial debate to defer and deter us from our mission.

Perhaps the minority's not in touch with the interests of our Nation. The Nation is interested in leadership that remembers not to forget. The Nation is looking for leadership that remembers 9/11, leadership that remembers Katrina, leadership that realizes that there are still vulnerabilities that we need to address to prevent the next terrorist attack or natural disaster.

Chairman Price has showed leadership by addressing these issues in this bill, as my committee addressed in H.R. 1, 1401 and 1684.

We owe Department employees, we owe the Department's management, and we owe our great country the passage of this appropriations measure.

Mr. Chairman, I invite my colleagues in the majority to join me as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee in passing a measure that brings us one step closer to protecting this Nation.

Homeland security is not a partisan issue. Mr. Chairman, it's an American issue. If we agree on that, then let's end this obstruction and pass this bill.

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