Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. I thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis) for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the rule. Just over 1 month ago, I stood on this floor urging the majority to allow Members of this Chamber to fund the Department of Homeland Security in the omnibus. The majority did not listen.

In the past month, even as the majority plotted to punish the Department for the President's action on immigration, a series of terrorist incidents across the globe have brought into sharp focus the need for a fully funded and fully functional DHS.

First, in Sidney, Australia, we witnessed a terrorist attack on a cafe where, at the end of a lengthy standoff, two innocent people lay dead.

The crippling cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment's network raised awareness of the damage that hacks can do.

Then, last week in Paris, there were a series of terrorist attacks that have sent shock waves beyond the borders of France.

The execution-style murders of 12 members of the creative team of Charlie Hebdo, followed by the indiscriminate killing at a Jewish supermarket, are not simply tragic incidents; they serve as a reminder that the terrorist threats we face are evolving, and they are evolving quickly.

As Members of Congress, we have a responsibility to give the Department of Homeland Security the resources it needs to be dynamic and agile in response to these evolving threats.

The underlying DHS appropriations bill under consideration today, although not perfect, could certainly pass both Chambers and be enacted into law with the President's signature.

However, the likelihood, dare I say inevitability, that one or more of the poison pill amendments that the Rules Committee approved will get attached ensures a DHS shutdown or slowdown continues.

And to what end?

The majority decries the administration's immigration actions but offers no solution.

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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. I thank the gentleman for the additional 30 seconds.

The majority decries the administration's immigration actions, but offers no solution or alternatives of its own. Instead, it plays and replays the game of we will or we won't fund the government.

Mr. Speaker, the game of chicken has come and run its course. It is time to provide full-year funding to DHS so it can continue its critical mission.

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