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Hoyer: Put Aside Partisan Differences and Vote as Americans to Fund the Department of Homeland Security for the Balance of the Year

March 26, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) spoke on the House Floor this afternoon to urge House Republicans' to take up the Senate's bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security for the entire fiscal year, instead of a three-week Continuing Resolution. Below is a transcript of his remarks and a link to the video.

Click here to watch the video.

"I thank the Gentlelady for yielding.  I join her in thanking Mr. [John] Carter and Mr. [Hal] Rogers for bringing to the Floor in December a Homeland Security bill that was appropriate, that funded at the levels that were agreed upon by both parties.  All we are asking is that we pass Mr. Carter and Mr. Rogers's bill.

"The Republicans pledged to not mingle controversial issues and allow each issue to stand on its own merits or demerits.  That was their Pledge to America in 2010.  This action is inconsistent with that pledge.

"The Senate has just voted, Madam Speaker, 68-31 to pass the Rogers-Lowey-Mikulski and… Shelby bill. This is not a partisan bill we're arguing about.  This is the bill that we have agreed upon – Republicans and Democrats – and we can't even pass that with the knowledge that, if we do not, the future funding of America's homeland security will still be in question.

"Yes, we could do it for three weeks.  I call it a ‘cul-de-sac strategy' – going into a cul-de-sac over and over and over again and feeling like somehow a pathway is going to open.  The Senate is now voting on the Collins Amendment.  Now, as I understand the strategy of the Republican party in the House, Madam Speaker, is to add the bill that has been rejected four times on the Floor of the United States Senate.  They went in the cul-de-sac once, it didn't open up.  They went in the cul-de-sac twice, it didn't open up.  Cul-de-sac, third, fourth time – it didn't open up.  And now the proposal is to go into that cul-de-sac a fifth time while we focus on whether or not we're going to fund homeland security, not on the objectives of homeland security.

"Ladies and gentleman, I urge Republicans and Democrats - who have all said not funding the Homeland Security Department now and for the balance of the year is… ill-conceived and wrong - I therefore, Madam Speaker, urge my colleagues to vote against this short-term C.R. and to vote for the Senate bill that will be sent to us in just a short period of time today, which passed the United States Senate with over two-thirds vote – Democrats only have 46 members, so almost a majority of the Republicans voting for it as well.

"Madam Speaker, that's the responsible thing to do. That's the right thing to do. That's the regular order to do. Let's do it. Let's put aside our partisan differences and our partisan strategies and vote as Americans to fund the Department of Homeland Security for the balance of the year, and I yield back the balance of my time."