I have no further speakers. I am prepared to close. Mr. Speaker, in closing I would like to thank Subcommittee Chairman Hudson and Ranking Member Richmond for working in collaboration to develop this important legislation. I would also…

I appreciate the opportunity to speak on behalf of this bill, H.R. 579, a bill to designate the United States courthouse in Jackson, Mississippi, as the R. Jess Brown United States Courthouse. Mr. Speaker, Richard Jess Brown was born on…

Second, to those in Congress who have embraced the idea of putting the Department of Homeland Security in budgetary limbo while ever other Federal agency is funded for fiscal year 2015, I say you should really think about the message that…

Let me be clear: The President's Executive Actions are a good start. However, there are still many people whom I believe deserve such consideration but are left out.

To those who have said the President's actions do not represent the will of the American people, I say you need to listen better.

In the face of this crisis and the absence of Congressional action, the President acted in a measured way that is likely to improve both our Nation's security and economy.

Since 1956, Presidents have granted temporary immigration relief to impacted individuals on 39 separate occasions; therefore, it would seem that changes outlined by President Obama on November 20 are not outside the bounds of Presidential…

Time and again, the House Republican Leadership has been unwilling to act to fix our broken immigration system.

As a former volunteer firefighter, I know that operable and interoperable communications are essential to ensuring that first responders can do their jobs safely and effectively.

I hope that our discussion today can yield a step in this direction, and I also support the Chairman's comment that this disease does not see party or anything.

I often urge my colleagues not to use our positions of influence to promote fear in the public.

I want to thank the Chairman for holding this timely hearing on our efforts--both domestic and international--to contain and prevent the spread of the Ebola virus.

I think it is an excellent idea, and we have learned a lot from hearing what Texas has done.

I also want to extend my condolences to the family of Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person diagnosed with Ebola on American soil.

It is incumbent upon us to work with our international partners to eradicate the virus at its origin in West Africa.

I want to also express my appreciation to the Chairman and to all of you.

the value of our public health infrastructure and the cost of maintaining it.

However, Congressional appropriation of funding of St. Elizabeths continues to be uncertain as the House's fiscal year 2015 Financial Service and General Government Appropriations bill zeroed out funding for GSA.

Since the Department of Homeland Security was created in 2002, its core components have been dispersed in more than 50 locations throughout the National Capital Region.

I am very concerned that we have yet to deal with the border security issue that plagues the people I represent every single day.

The people I represent want to know from me... what is the Department doing to deploy its resources to address that problem?

I also am concerned about how it is we treat in every way possible, by pay and in terms of morale, the men and women who are on the border.

The drug cartels basically own that territory.

These issues create problems for our security and create problems for the men and women that we have asked to protect the homeland.

However, Phase II and III of the consolidation project have been stalled.