Today, Representative Pete Aguilar (CA-31) delivered remarks on the House floor, calling on Speaker Boehner to bring a clean, no-strings attached Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill up for a vote immediately. Funding for the DHS is set to expire on February 28^th, leaving sixteen days and only five legislative days for Congress to pass a bill.

 

“Today we find ourselves once again on the verge of a shutdown, again—because Congress didn’t do its job and pass funding for the Department of Homeland Security. And now, Congress is playing politics, trying to roll back the President’s reforms and threatening to force the American people to pay the price for Congress’ inability to agree on funding to protect our homeland,” said Aguilar. He added, “Is it more important for you to earn political points, or is it more important to safeguard the national security of the United States of America? I’m urging you today to bring a clean appropriations bill to the floor so we can fully fund the Department of Homelands Security.”

 

Representative Aguilar is working with Representative Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) and their colleagues to urge Speaker Boehner to bring a clean, up-or-down vote on a homeland security appropriations bill to fully fund DHS for the remainder of the fiscal year. As it stands, the recent House-passed bill is assured to be “dead on arrival” in the Senate and a promised-veto by President Obama. If lawmakers fail to pass a bill before the February 28^th deadline, DHS will be unable to run at full capacity. Representative Aguilar is requesting a clean bill to fund DHS, without acrimonious legislative riders that end President Obama’s executive orders on immigration.

 

Representative Aguilar’s remarks can be seen in full here.