Roybal-Allard and Lowey Introduce Clean Homeland Security Funding Bill

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), who has been recommended to be Ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, and Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), Ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, today introduced H.R. 861, a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security that does not include poison pill riders regarding the President’s executive actions on immigration.

"There are only 17 days remaining until Homeland Security funding expires, and yet this Congress is no closer than it was last December to carrying out its basic responsibility to appropriately fund the Department of Homeland Security and protect us from terrorist threats,” said Roybal-Allard.  “The Senate has definitively demonstrated that there are insufficient votes to bring up a DHS funding bill containing the House-passed poison pill riders.  The clean, bipartisan, full-year DHS funding bill we are offering addresses the most pressing needs of the Department as it works to protect our country from harm.  The President would sign that bill today, and we should send it to him."

“It is outrageous that Republican leadership is holding hostage funding that is critical to keeping our borders, ports, aviation system, and communities safe,” said Lowey.  “Democratic and Republican negotiators reached agreement on Homeland Security funding and policy issues in December, yet Republican leadership continues to play a dangerous and irresponsible political game, demanding a ransom that they cannot achieve through the normal legislative process.  It is past time to end this charade and put a clean DHS funding bill on the floor.”

17 days, and only six legislative days, remain before funding for the Department of Homeland Security expires on February 28th.  During these dangerous times, robust and certain funding for the department that helps to ensure the safety and security of our borders, ports, aviation system, and local communities should be a top priority of the United States Congress.

H.R. 861 will fund the Department of Homeland Security through the end of Fiscal Year 2015, ensuring that Border Patrol Agents, TSA security screeners, active duty Coast Guard military members, and Secret Service law enforcement agents and officers would still receive paychecks for protecting the American people. 

The bill does not include poison pill amendments passed in H.R. 240 affecting the President’s executive actions on immigration, on which the Senate has failed three times to get cloture.

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