Roybal-Allard statement on Department of Homeland Security budget request

March 26, 2015
Press Release

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), the Ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, today delivered the following opening statement at a Subcommittee hearing on the Department of Homeland Security’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2016.  The hearing’s witness was Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.

 

“Good morning, Mr. Secretary, and welcome.  I’d like to start by commending your efforts to make the Department of Homeland Security more cohesive and better focused on budgeting, performance, joint requirements, and acquisition best practices.  Those kinds of processes and capabilities are sometimes overlooked, but we understand they are ultimately the foundation for almost everything the Department does, and that you need to get them right.  Your efforts are all the more compelling because they are the beginning of long-term endeavors, the full payoff for which will likely be enjoyed not by you, but by your successor as Secretary.

 

“We have just come through a difficult appropriations cycle for the Department.  Frankly, Congress is not doing its job when an agency’s funding remains in legislative limbo for the first five months of a fiscal year.  I know the basis for that delay was a disagreement over the legality of your immigration enforcement approach, even though the federal courts are the appropriate place to sort that out.  And I hope we can avoid any repeat of unnecessary delays to appropriating your funding for FY16.

 

“The Fiscal Year 2016 net discretionary budget request for the Department of Homeland Security is $41.4 billion, as scored by the Congressional Budget Office.  This does not include an additional $6.7 billion in disaster relief funding that does not count towards the discretionary cap. The net total is $1.7 billion above the current-year funding level.  A significant portion of that increase is needed for second-year funding and step increases for CBP personnel, addressing Protective Mission Panel recommendations and other needs of the Secret Service, and federal cybersecurity enhancements.

 

“Much of the budget request for the Department seems well-justified, but there are some areas where I am concerned about cuts, particularly for the grant programs.  If the Committee is forced to do its work within the constraints of the current discretionary budget cap, we will be hard-pressed to address the Department’s needs for funding grants and other purposes for the coming year.

 

“Before I close, I want to try and frame the discussion we may have this morning about immigration.  Mr. Secretary, we know you have a tough job to do, and perhaps the toughest part is the enforcement of our immigration laws.  It is tough because it exposes a tension between values we, as Americans, hold dear. 

 

“We are a country of laws, and respect for the law is paramount to our democracy and our way of life.  However, we are also a country that values human life, humane treatment of every individual, and due process.  We value keeping families together and protecting children, and we believe in second chances.  While it is essential that we protect our borders and enforce our immigration laws, we must grant all people due process and treat them with fundamental human dignity and respect.  I hope in our discussion this morning we can keep these American values in mind.

 

“Mr. Secretary, I look forward to your testimony and our discussion today, and I look forward to continuing to work with you this year in support of the Department’s important missions.”

 

114th Congress