Committee Republicans Object To Homeland Security And Financial Services Bills

WASHINGTON – Today, the full committee met to consider the fiscal year 2021 appropriations bills for Homeland Security and Financial Services. Committee Republicans expressed concern about several controversial policy and spending proposals.
 
Ranking Member Kay Granger (R-TX), the lead Republican on the Appropriations Committee, said, “As we finish our Committee markups for next fiscal year, I am concerned about the bills we have produced. While I appreciate the Majority including many key Republican priorities, the bills violate the agreed-to budget caps and contain troubling policies that I simply cannot support.

“The bills discussed today are too important to be slowed down by politics. It is essential that we provide the needed resources to protect the American people, strengthen our border, and reignite the economy. 

“I am disappointed that we were unable to get changes made during Committee markups to ensure that these important bills could be supported by Members of both parties. I hope we can work together to resolve our differences and fulfill the bipartisan, bicameral budget agreement we made less than a year ago.”
 
Homeland Security Subcommittee Ranking Member Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN) added, “The mission of the Department of Homeland Security is simple – protect the nation – in order to do that, all components of the Department must be fully funded. We cannot allow our men and women on the front lines to face further budget cuts and it is critical to fully fund border wall construction.

“It is disheartening that we could not make this a fully bipartisan bill and fund these areas critical for our national security.

“I would like to thank Chairwoman Roybal-Allard, along with Chairwoman Lowey, and Ranking Member Granger for the work that has gone into bringing this bill and all the Committee’s bills to markup.”
 
Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee Republican Leader Tom Graves (R-GA) added, "We are at a cyber crossroads. With so much of the U.S. workforce displaced due to the ongoing pandemic, secure networks, platforms and apps are more important than ever. The pandemic has only increased our reliance on technology. I’m grateful to the committee for including my provisions to boost cyber and telecommunications security nationwide. It’s been an honor of a lifetime to be a part of this committee, and I’m grateful to our leaders for their partnership over the last decade. I look forward to continuing my work to level the cyber battlefield and keep Americans safe online."
 
Backing their commitment to conservative policies, Republican Members offered amendments to:

• Allow funds to be used for a physical barrier along the southern border, slowing illegal border crossings and preventing drug trafficking;
• Allow for flexible funding to meet Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention bed needs;
• Allow Treasury Forfeiture funds to address the crisis at the southwest border;
• Promote pro-life policies by prohibiting the use of District of Columbia local funds for abortion;
• Restore the security and integrity of the federal procurement process;
• Prohibit Election Security Grants to states that do not have a law prohibiting a foreign national from collecting ballots;
• Strike language that would limit education choice for low income students in the District of Columbia;
• Prohibit funds for a District of Columbia ballot initiative to lower the enforcement priority for certain illegal natural hallucinogens in the District; and
• Strike a harmful rider limiting the ability of the Securities and Exchange Commission to help small businesses and investors.

 
Ranking Member Granger’s remarks in each full committee markup today are linked below:
Homeland Security FY21 Full Committee Markup
Financial Services FY 21 Full Committee Markup