48 Hours: Rep. Pete Aguilar Issues Statement as the Deadline to Prevent a Department of Homeland Security Shutdown Approaches
Today, Rep. Pete Aguilar (CA-31) issued the following statement as Congress approaches forty-eight hours until the February 27th deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
“We are now forty-eight hours away from a partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown. With Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell now allowing a vote on a clean funding bill in the Senate, there is no reason why we can’t pass this immediately. If the House majority refuses to bring a clean funding bill to the floor for a vote and forces DHS to shut down, this will hurt American workers and will jeopardize the national security of the United States. As we’re on the heels of the horrific events in Paris and with reports on ISIS daily, we cannot afford to close the agency tasked with deterring these types of attacks that threaten our safety and sovereignty. Again, I urge Speaker Boehner to allow a clean funding bill on the floor immediately, and to end this political standoff.”
If Congress fails to pass legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security before the February 27th deadline, the agency will face a partial shutdown. The shutdown threatens crucial grants allocated to states, including California. Last year, California received over $27 million in Emergency Management Performance Grants and $60 million under the State Homeland Security Grant Program. The Department of Homeland Security is also responsible for allotting Assistance to Firefighters Grants, of which Redlands received over $70,000 in 2013. If the House majority forces a shutdown, Americans will feel the devastating effects everywhere, from Washington, D.C. to the Inland Empire. [Department of Homeland Security, EMPG 2014] [Department of Homeland Security, SHSP 2014][Department of Homeland Security, AFG 2013]
Rep. Pete Aguilar spoke on the House Floor earlier this month, urging Speaker Boehner to allow a vote on a clean bill to fully fund DHS through the 2015 fiscal year, one that is free of dangerous anti-immigration riders. His remarks can be found here. Last week, Rep. Aguilar and Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) co-authored a letter to Speaker Boehner, asking him to end the standoff and introduce a clean funding bill immediately. The letter can be read here.
