Date: 2015-02-27
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. congressional dysfunction is now impacting our nations security. The Senate has acted rationally by passing a clean Department of Homeland Security funding bill. The House should do the same. The House majority should take up the Senate bill and rise above political security and make national security the priority. As a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security and one who was present in this body on September 11. 2001. it is sobering to think that so many of this bodys members now think terrorism is a political football. Over 3.000 Americans died that dayand if not for the bravery of those who gave their lives in a field in Pennsylvania many more would have died. Those who were killed or risked their lives to save others included undocumented persons. The 9/11 Commission Report stated that had United Flight 93 not crashed in Shanksville. Pennsylvania. located 125 miles from Washington. DC. that flight would have reached Washington. DC. between 10:13 and 10:23 on September 11. 2001. I went to ground zero in New York while it still was burning and workers were trying to recover the remains of victims. This sobering experience has seared into my mindnever again. I am forever grateful to those who risk their lives every day to protect this nationthey should be valued and honored. The fact that the leadership of the House chose to bring to the floor a rule for another Continuing Resolution that would extend funding to the Department of Homeland Security for three weeks is without a doubt one of the worst ideas in our nations history. Our enemies have not stooddown. nor have they given upthey are adapting. evolving and improving their ability to inflict harm upon America and Americans. Meanwhile the House is sending a message to terrorists that we are disorganized and ineffective in our resolve to protect our nation and its people. In his letter to Members of Congress. DHS Secretary Johnson states in clear terms what is at stake. The global terrorist threat has become more decentralized and complex. Terrorist organizations are now openly calling on attacks on Western targets. A new video. reportedly from Al Shabaab. shows the terror group calling for an attack on Mall of America in Bloomington. Minnesota. Al Shabaab is the same terrorist group that attacked the Westgate Mall in Nairobi. Kenya resulting in 60 deaths. The arrest this week in New York City highlight the threats posed by independent actors in the homeland who support overseas terrorist organizations and radical ideology. Last Octoberthree teenage girls who lived in a Denver suburb attempted to depart the country for Syria to join violent extremists. but thanks to the work of our domestic and international security professionals they were intercepted and returned home to the custody of their parents. Keeping American families safe is the first responsibility of the Congressbut Republicans have decided that appeasing antiimmigrant Tea Party extremists is more important than the protecting our homeland. The Department of Homeland Security needs support for important federal cybersecurity initiatives. disaster relief and recovery programs. and essential law enforcement activities that are critical for ensuring that DHS can help keep our nation safe from harm. The recent terrorist attacks in Paris and by Boko Haram in Nigeria give heightened urgency to the words of Appropriations Committee Chairman ROGERS that we need to get a clean Homeland Security spending bill "to the presidents desk so we can get a signature funding Homeland Security at a very tedious time in the world." If the day ends without Congress taking action. the men and women charged with protecting the homeland will be sent a message that the House does not value 170.000 employees who will be required to work without pay. These employees include members of the Coast Guard. Border Patrol. Secret Service. Transportation Security Administration and others on the front lines of Homeland Security. An additional 30.000 employees of the Department of Homeland Security will be furloughed and sent home without pay. Contracting services across the Department. including those for critical mission support activities. will be disrupted or interrupted. A shutdown will prevent DHS from awarding $2.5 billion in grants to state. local. and tribal governments for response capabilities to recover from terrorist attacks. major disasters and other emergencies. A DHS shutdown would hit Texas especially hard. The local and state negative impact of House inaction is the forgoing of fiscal year 2015 grants that go to first responders. In 2014. DHS grants awarded to the city of Houston included $24.000.000 from Urban Area Security Initiative grants and $299.995 from the nonprofit program. In 2014. port security grants included: $1.810.826 for Harris County. $845.250 for the City of Houston. Programs intended to aid our fire fighters such as the one at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. which received a $1.493.340 DHS research grant last year are being hurt by House inaction on fiscal year 2015 funding for the agency. The majority must stop putting political security before national security and take up a clean bill to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security.