Lucille Roybal-Allard: “The primary responsibility of Congress is to keep our Nation safe. However, we are 133 days into the 2015 fiscal year…”

“The primary responsibility of Congress is to keep our Nation safe. However, we are 133 days into the 2015 fiscal year, and the Department of Homeland Security is without a budget. The Department is trying to fulfill its mission under the uncertainty of a continuing resolution that is set to expire in 18 days. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security submitted its fiscal year 2016 budget, but unlike every department and agency, DHS was at the disadvantage of not having a current funding level for its essential security functions. There is the mistaken impression that the Department of Homeland Security is doing just fine under the continuing resolution. Some feel that, if DHS funding expires, no problem exists since approximately 85 percent of DHS personnel are deemed essential and are required to work. While it is true that frontline agents and officers, like those at the CBP, ICE, the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service, would continue working, they would do so without being paid. Is this fair to expect these dedicated Americans to put their lives on the line without pay and the ability to care for their families? I think not, and I believe the American people would agree on the unfairness of this proposal. A greater concern is that the Secretary of Homeland Security has warned us that not having an appropriation for 2015 is threatening our national security.…”