Newsletter: Don't Shut Down Our Security

Statement

Dear Neighbors,

As the week in Washington comes to a close, the majority in Congress is acting irresponsibly by refusing to pass a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

On December 11, 2014, H.R. 83 passed the House of Representatives and was signed into law by the President. This legislation provided funding for almost all of the federal government through September 2015, but in a politically-motivated response to the President's executive action on immigration, funding for DHS was only provided through February 27, 2015. This means that DHS will shutdown tomorrow at midnight if Congress does not pass a new funding measure.

I am deeply disappointed by this as it puts our nation's safety and security in jeopardy.

If DHS shutsdown, 30,000 vital DHS employees across the country would be forbidden to come into work and perform their duties. This means that the bulk of DHS management and headquarters administrative support activities would cease, including much of the homeland security infrastructure that was built following the 9/11 terrorist attacks to improve command, control and coordination of frontline activities. In addition, 169,000 employees, many of them frontline security personnel, would go into work without pay.

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Paris, and continued calls by terrorist organizations to attack Western targets, it is crucial we continue to fund this agency.

We must pass a funding bill for DHS and address the immigration issue separately. Discontent with the President's executive order should not threaten our primary responsibility in Congress, keeping American families safe.

Sincerely,

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