Homeland Security

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5860, a bill that keeps the government open until November 17^th.

While I would rather be here speaking on the floor about final appropriations bills, I want members to understand why passing this short-term funding bill today is so important.

First, I want to explain how we find ourselves in this situation.

Just nine months ago, when Republicans took back the Majority in the House, our commitment was to Regular Order for appropriations.

No more omnibus measures released in the dead of night. No more Christmas Eve votes on thousands of pages of text that Members of Congress had not read.

Unfortunately, there were a few stumbling blocks as we sought to change the process.

For example, the Administration's budget request was more than a month late. It then took months for the President to come to the table on the debt ceiling negotiations.

I want to begin by thanking the Chairwoman of the Full Committee, Ms. Granger, for her leadership and her tireless efforts to bring these Appropriations bills to the floor.

I also want to thank the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, my good friend Mr. Cuellar, who has worked with us in good faith on the bill, despite some disagreements on policy.

And lastly, I have enjoyed my time sitting next to the Ranking Member of the Full Committee, the Gentlelady from Connecticut, not once, but twice in the last few days.

The bill before us today provides $62.8 billion for the Department of Homeland Security, an increase of $2.1 billion above the Fiscal Year 2023 level.

In addition, the bill also includes $20.3 billion for disaster response and recovery activities—including to support communities after the devastating wildfires in Maui and Hurricane Idalia.

I want to start by saying the work we did last week shows how we are able to reduce spending where we can and prioritize funding for our core responsibilities.

That includes our national defense, veterans, and the bill before us: homeland security.

I want to thank Chairman Joyce for his hard work on this bill.

It provides what is needed to protect our homeland and address the ongoing crisis at our border.

Specifically, the bill:

Let me begin by thanking the Members of the Committee for their participation in the process of putting the Homeland Security bill together.

We made a concerted effort to address as many Member priorities as possible.

Our job on this Committee is to provide the resources required to keep our nation safe. This bill ensures that the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security, who work tirelessly on our behalf, have the resources and tools they need to protect this great nation.

The bill before us today provides $62.8 billion within the Subcommittee's budget allocation, and $20.3 billion for major disaster response and recovery activities.

The total within the allocation is $2.1 billion above the Fiscal Year 2023 level.

Appropriations bills communicate priorities; we must invest in border security and immigration enforcement.