Department of Homeland Security Funding

Floor Speech

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Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I have come to the floor, with just 16
days left until the Department of Homeland Security shuts down, to
again call for Congress to pass a clean full-year bill to fund the
Department of Homeland Security. With our Nation facing very real and
very dangerous threats--Senator Murphy was just on the floor talking
about the ISIL threat and pointed out what the risks are--it is time
for us to put politics aside and do what is right for the security of
our Nation.

If we don't pass a full-year bill to fund the Department of Homeland
Security, we will not be able to make critical investments in border
security, maritime security, and in nuclear detection activities.

If we don't pass a full-year bill, grants to protect our cities and
our ports from terror attacks would be halted, and new grants to police
and firefighters will not be awarded. If we don't pass a full-year
bill, we are shortchanging counterterrorism efforts, and we will put
our Nation's cyber networks at risk.

Senator Mikulski and I have filed a clean, full-year funding bill
that is on the Senate calendar and ready for action. Our bill fully
funds these key security priorities, but if our colleagues on the other
side of the aisle don't want to support a bill that Senator Mikulski
and I have filed, certainly we can support a clean Republican bill that
includes the funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

Our bill--our clean bill--is based on the bicameral, bipartisan
agreement that was reached in December by Senator Mikulski and
Congressman Hal Rogers. The legislation was agreed to by Democrats and
Republicans, and it was the result of bipartisan, compromised
negotiations. Not everyone got what they wanted in the bill, but it is
a good budget that strengthens our Nation and protects against the many
threats we face.

Appropriations bills are only possible because of the art of
compromise. Senators from both parties identify priorities important to
them or their States. They work with Members of the Appropriations
Committee on bill language, funding priorities. Everyone works together
to influence the final product. All Senators have the opportunity to
participate in crafting appropriations bills.

In fact, there doesn't seem to be any disagreement about the funding
and how it is allocated in the appropriations bill before us, in the
funding bill for Homeland Security. Senator Cochran, who chairs the
Appropriations Committee, came to the floor and touted all of the
benefits in the funding bill for Homeland Security. Senator Hoeven, who
chairs the Subcommittee on Homeland Security that I am the ranking
member of, came to the floor and, similar to Senator Cochran, touted
what is on the bill. I have been on the floor, Senator Mikulski has
been to the floor many times to talk about what is in the funding bill
for the Department of Homeland Security and why we need to pass it.

This morning I wish to highlight a few more of the priorities in a
clean, full-year bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security,
priorities that will be at risk if we can't pass a clean bill.

There is bipartisan support that the Homeland Security appropriations
bill includes strong funding for fire and SAFER grants. I know the
Presiding Officer understands these programs because he has been the
Governor of his home State. So he knows how important those fire and
SAFER grants are to local fire departments, to first responders because
they help purchase new equipment, they help with training exercises,
and they can help fire departments cut down response times and save
lives.

There is also bipartisan support that the Homeland Security funding
bill include grants to help our Nation's largest cities protect against
terror attacks. There is funding for port security grants, State and
local law enforcement grants, emergency preparedness grants. There is
bipartisan support for funding to upgrade the FEMA Center for Domestic
Preparedness in Anniston, AL.

There is a compromise most of the people on the Democratic side of
the aisle didn't agree with, to deny President Obama's request to
increase air passenger fees and reinstitute the air carrier security
fee.

The Coast Guard needs to continue the acquisition of its eighth
national security cutter, which is so important for our maritime
security. Republicans and Democrats secured $627 million in the bill
for the cutter.

We have all seen how devastating the attacks were against Sony when
it was hacked. Cyber attacks are an area of security that former
National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft called ``as dangerous as
nuclear weapons.'' That is why Republicans and Democrats pushed for
full funding for DHS cyber security activities.

The increase to the southwestern border of unaccompanied children and
families last year is a major concern for States along our southern
border--States such as Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. It has been a
key priority for a number of my Republican colleagues, and for all of
us who are concerned about border security, to meet the statutory
mandate of 34,000 detention beds for undocumented immigrants that is
required for the Department of Homeland Security.

The clean funding bill includes support for those 34,000 detention
beds, and it also includes funding to meet Republican requests to build
3,000 new family detention beds in Texas.

The National Bio and Agro-Defense facility construction in Manhattan,
KS, which is an effort to help us deal with threats against our food
supply and other bioterrorism threats--in a clean funding bill will
receive the final amount needed to begin construction.

Senator Roberts and I talked about this today. One of the things he
pointed out is he has been working on this project for 16 years. There
is $300 million in this clean, full-year bill. If we don't pass this
bill, if the Department of Homeland Security shuts down, if we are in a
continuing resolution, then this funding is at risk and they may have
to rebid the project, which will drive up costs. That makes no sense.

There was bipartisan agreement to include $12 million for the
National Computer Forensics Institute in Hoover, AL, to support the
expansion of basic and advanced training for State and local law
enforcement personnel, judges, and prosecutors to combat cyber crime.

These important investments in counterterrorism and cyber and border
security are not controversial. That is not what we are arguing about
here. We are arguing about whether we are going to debate what the President did with respect to immigration, and we should not be having this debate on the Department of Homeland Security's funding bill. We can have that debate. I am all for it. I was happy to have that debate when this body passed comprehensive immigration reform 2 years ago, but we should not be having this debate on this bill. The House should understand, just as the Senate understands that. We should not be having that debate on this funding bill for Department of Homeland Security.

We need to come together to pass a clean bill--a bill that was the
result of bipartisan negotiation and bipartisan compromise. We have a
bill on the Senate calendar to do just that.

I am hearing from communities all across New Hampshire--we are
hearing from communities across the country--about the need to pass a
full-year funding bill.

Last week the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Association of
Counties, the International Association of Emergency Managers, and the
International Association of Firefighters joined our call for a clean,
full-year funding bill because they understand, as I know we all do,
how disastrous failing to fund this agency would be. Three previous DHS
Secretaries, two Republicans and one Democrat, have done the same.

Earlier this week, the National Fraternal Order of Police joined that
call for action.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have the letter from the
National Fraternal Order of Police printed in the Record.

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Mrs. SHAHEEN. Their letter expresses frustration with the fact that a
policy dispute over the President's immigration actions ``could
compromise the safety and security of our country.''
The letter continues:

What kind of message does this send to the men and women in
DHS who put their lives on the line in defense of our
homeland--three of whom fell in the line of duty over the
past two years?
What kind of message does this send to our enemies?

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Mrs. SHAHEEN. Congress's most basic function is to provide for the
Nation's security. It is time to stop playing politics, to get to work,
do our jobs, and pass a clean full-year bill to fund the Department of
Homeland Security.

I thank the Presiding Officer.

I yield the floor.

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