On the recordJanuary 13, 2015
This legislation funds the Department of Homeland Security for the remainder of the current fiscal year at $39.7 billion, an increase of $400 million compared to the FY2014 enacted level. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 240, the Homeland Security Appropriations Act. This legislation is critically important to keeping our nation safe: It provides vital funding for the Department of Homeland Security for the remainder of the current fiscal year It also prioritizes frontline security efforts, while reducing unnecessary spending on overhead costs While there are many important programs that will receive funding through this legislation, I'd like to address just a few critically important areas: Last November, President Obama through executive fiat granted amnesty to as many as five million illegal immigrants. His decision to circumvent the proper legislative process was not the right way to handle this important issue. The President himself even admitted that he did not have the legal authority to issue an executive notice of this nature. We made a promise to our constituents that one of the first things we would do this Congress would be to prevent the President's unconstitutional executive action from becoming our nation's de facto immigration policy. This legislation does just that. Next, this bill increases funding for Customs and Border Protection in order to make our border more secure.…
