Political Quotes

“Today marks 4 days until the Department of Homeland Security runs out of money. We all had the opportunity for the first time this session to go back home last week for our district workweek, and I had an opportunity to speak about this particular issue at the Honolulu International Airport, where many of our DHS officials and employees are very concerned about this lapse of funding. Although some DHS employees would continue to work in the event of a shutdown, they would be forced to do so without pay, creating a significant distraction and dealing a significant blow to morale. Every single House Democrat has cosponsored clean legislation to fund DHS, and it is clear that there are a sufficient amount of votes to pass this bill now. Keeping America's families safe is the first responsibility and priority of this Congress. We need to put aside the political gridlock that has plagued this House for too long and fund DHS now. An impasse in funding would close down the bulk of DHS' management and support of Homeland Security infrastructure that was built following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Essential funding for the Department of Homeland Security is no place for grandstanding against immigration reform that strengthens our economy and our country. Let's remember: it was the inability of this House to act on the Senate's comprehensive immigration reform bill that forced the President to take executive action on immigration in the first place.…”