On the recordFebruary 11, 2015
Mr. Speaker, it is irresponsible to hold homeland security funds hostage simply because some of my colleagues don't like the President's action on immigration. There is a time and place to have this debate--and this isn't it. I spent my career working in public safety and emergency preparedness with the LAPD. Security is in my blood. I know how important it is to be able to plan, prepare, and maintain the morale of those on the front lines. If we let the Department of Homeland Security funding expire, it isn't nameless bureaucrats who will be suffering. We will shutter the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, halt R&D work to counter security threats, and end FEMA training activities with our local law enforcement. That says nothing of the 147,000 Border Patrol, ICE, and TSA officers, Active Duty Coast Guard, and Secret Service agents who will be forced to work without pay. These men and women have our backs. We should have theirs. ____________________
