Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I was very disappointed yesterday that the Senate did not vote to proceed to the consideration of the Homeland Security appropriations bill. I hope we will have an opportunity to reconsider that vote and we will agree to take up the bill. The need to fund the Department of Homeland Security for the remainder of this fiscal year should not be in question. We know that we are living in a complex world with ever-changing threats to our Nation's security. The Department that we created specifically to combat those threats will operate better and more efficiently with a full-year funding plan that reflects updated spending priorities. I have heard no Senator dispute that. The leaders of the Homeland Security Subcommittee--both Democrat and Republican--put a great deal of effort into drafting this measure. The bill provides $10.7 billion for Customs and Border Protection--an increase of $119 million over fiscal year 2014. This amount will support border infrastructure, technology needs, roads, air and marine assets, and higher levels of personnel, including Border Patrol agents and Customs and Border Patrol officers. The bill provides nearly $6 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement--an increase of 13 percent. The bill provides increased funds to identify, apprehend, and remove criminal aliens and provides increases for investigations to help combat human trafficking, cyber crime, child exploitation, and drug smuggling.…”