Funding the Department of Homeland Security

Floor Speech

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Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on the importance of funding the Department of Homeland Security. Playing partisan politics with DHS for ransom because you are unhappy with the President's executive order on immigration is inappropriate.

There are only 16 days--more importantly, there are only 6 legislative days--remaining before the Department of Homeland Security runs out of money. This is America's security at stake.

The events in Paris recently showed us that terrorism remains a threat around the world. It is also a domestic threat.

Why in the world would we want to put American citizens at risk, in harm's way?

Yet the majority seems to be content to risk our national security by defunding Homeland Security. It is either my way or the highway. The opposition insists that Congress dismantle the administration's immigration priorities, but they have yet to offer or bring a solution to the floor to fix our broken immigration system. If you have a better approach, then bring it to the floor for debate and we will vote on it.

In the valley that I represent, the San Joaquin Valley, this bill would have a devastating effect on farmworkers, farmers, and farming communities.

I ask us to come together. Let's fund Homeland Security and put the American people first.

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