Cole Remarks at FY25 Homeland Security Bill Subcommittee Markup

I would like to first thank Chairman Amodei, Ranking Member Underwood, and all the members of the subcommittee for being here today.

The government’s chief responsibility is protecting the homeland and keeping Americans safe. With the threat environment continually evolving, we must arm our homeland security and enforcement agencies with the tools needed to prevent, identify, and address dangers. The measure before us is crucial to that.

Long gone are the days when oceans insulated us from attack. From border and transportation security to cyberattacks and the evil of human trafficking, the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for protecting our communities from a vast number of threats.

This bill ensures that the men and women of DHS, who work tirelessly on our behalf, have the resources they need to protect the nation. And, we know, they are urgently needed.

You don’t even have to turn on the news to know one of the greatest challenges our Homeland Security agencies face today: America’s doorstep is wide open.

For the last three years, the situation at the border has deteriorated. More than two million people will cross the border this year alone—and the dark reality remains that the crisis has only empowered criminals, terrorists, and other nefarious individuals.

As a result, this bill makes strong investments in border security and immigration enforcement including:

• Additional funding for physical barriers.
• Sustaining 22,000 Border Patrol Agents.
• Increasing the level of detention beds to 50,000.

Investing in border security technology to detect illicit migration and stop the flow of fentanyl.

To counter the growing threat of Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region, the bill provides additional resources to the Coast Guard for four Fast Response Cutters and increases engagement with Pacific-nation partners.

Finally, the bill makes crucial investments to sustain and enhance domestic cyber and critical infrastructure defense capabilities.