Roybal-Allard condemns GOP's 3-week Homeland Security Continuing Resolution

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), the Ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, spoke in the House of Representatives this morning about House Republicans’ plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security for just three weeks with a new continuing resolution (CR), instead of passing a full-year DHS funding bill.  The current CR to fund DHS is set to expire at midnight tonight.

The text of Congresswoman Roybal-Allard’s speech follows:

"In December 2014, as leverage against the President’s executive actions, the Republican leadership irresponsibly decided to hold hostage the 2015 funding for the Department of Homeland Security.  Now, 150 days into Fiscal Year 2015, this House is no closer to addressing the homeland security funding needs of this country than it was last December.  Instead, the Republican leadership is proposing to once again kick the can down the road, this time for another three weeks.

“The serious consequences of the Republican majority’s inability to responsibly lead on behalf of the American people will once again leave the Department without the 2015 funding levels it needs to effectively fulfill its mission of protecting our homeland.

“I ask my colleagues: What is gained by continuing to delay resolving this crisis – a crisis of the House Republicans’ own making?  Does anyone really think circumstances will be any different three weeks from now? The judicial review of the President’s executive actions will not be resolved in three weeks.

“The only circumstance that will be different in three weeks is that much will be lost.  Republicans cannot continue to block the Department of Homeland Security funding for 2015 without undermining the national security of this country.  We should not fool  ourselves into believing that the Department of Homeland Security has been doing just fine under the continuing resolution, or that there would be no further consequences if we force the Department to keep living with the uncertainty of a continuing resolution for even another day, much less three more weeks.

“Secretary Johnson and agency heads have warned that passing another CR will not address the uncertainty of being able to meet our long term national security needs.  Yesterday, Secretary Johnson sent a letter to the bipartisan leadership of the House and Senate warning of the dangers of either a funding lapse or another short-term continuing resolution.  To quote the Secretary, a ‘mere extension of a continuing resolution has many of the same negative impacts’ of a shutdown.   It ‘exacerbates the uncertainty for my workforce and puts us back in the same position, on the brink of a shutdown just days from now.’  The Secretary ends his letter by saying, ‘The American people are counting on us.’”

“The American people are indeed counting on us.  And so far, the Republican majority in the House has let them down.  The Constitution provides a path for Congress to work its will on policy issues without resorting to funding lapses or continuing resolutions, which represent the complete and utter abdication of Congress’ obligation to effectively govern.

“The Senate will soon send back to us a bill that was agreed upon by both Democrats and Republicans, and that will enable the Department to move forward on the critical planning needed to protect our country now and in the future.  Let us do the responsible thing and bring that bill to a vote, so that our country can truly be protected.”