Hoyer: Republicans are Threatening National Security by Holding Homeland Security Budget Hostage

WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) delivered the following remarks today at a press conference urging House Republicans to stop holding our national security hostage to their political agenda and to work with Democrats to enact bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform:

“This week, Republican dysfunction on immigration is on full display. Following their failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform, the President took action within his legal authority to keep families together and make our immigration system more accountable.

“Instead of working with Democrats and the President to build on those steps and move forward with comprehensive reform, they’ve chosen to: one, threaten national security by holding a homeland security budget hostage – how ironic that, on the one hand, [they] want to talk about secure borders but, on the other hand, refuse to fund in regular order the agency assigned the responsibility of keeping those very borders secure – that’s somewhat like Alice and Wonderland; secondly, hold hearings to attack the President’s executive action and on legislation that would result in mass deportations; thirdly, consider partisan bills that would militarize our borders; and, in addition, pursue another costly lawsuit against the President.

“More than seven in ten Americans believe that the way to fix our immigration system is through comprehensive immigration reform, as the Senate did over a year ago, that keeps families together, secures our borders, and helps us keep talented innovators and workers here. Americans think that makes sense. It is unfortunate that House Republicans refuse to work with us to do so, as Senate Republicans worked with Senate Democrats to accomplish that objective – and those who were conservatives and ran in conservative states were reelected after doing so. Why? Because seven in ten Americans think it makes sense.

“So, I am hopeful that my Republican colleagues will do two things. First of all, allow the Department of Homeland Security [appropriations] bill to pass, unfettered by extraneous matter serving their political agenda, not their security agenda. And, secondly, to work with us to pass a comprehensive immigration bill.  If they don’t like what the President did, they have a perfect legislative solution: pass a bill and replace it.”