Hoyer Urges House Republicans to Pass a Clean DHS Funding Bill, Bring Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation to the Floor

WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) urged House Republicans to pass a clean bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security and to bring comprehensive immigration reform legislation to the Floor for a vote during a colloquy with Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy this afternoon. Below are excerpts from the colloquy and a link to the video: 

Click here to watch the video.

"There really is no controversy with respect to the funding of the Homeland Security Department. There are no amendments being offered to change the numbers or anything of that nature. There is, however, the holding hostage, Mr. Speaker, of this bill for the purposes of overturning the President's [executive] actions [on immigration], which, in our view, he was forced to take because of the inaction of this body after over a year of even considering the comprehensive immigration reform bill that the Senate passed by over 60 votes – almost two-thirds of the Senate, Republicans and Democrats, voting for that bill."

"Mr. Speaker, I am very concerned, the American people are concerned, that a bill which is so critically important for the defense of our borders, for the security of our country, and the security of our people is languishing notwithstanding the fact that we have agreement on the underlying bill. There is no disagreement, in my view. And [a clean] Homeland Security bill, Mr. Speaker, in my opinion, would pass with over 400 votes if it were brought to this Floor, but for the fact it is being held hostage to force the President to do something that the Senate clearly has indicated they are not going to do."

"Every day that we delay puts us closer to the February 27 deadline that was set in December for the funding of this bill [because it was] taken out of the omnibus appropriations bill that we passed [and] put on a short-term leash, putting our homeland security at risk. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Majority Leader, I would ask you, is there any plan at some point in time to say we are not going to snatch defeat from the jaws of compromise? I tell the Leader, and the Leader knows, the Leader's very astute, understands this body very well, and knows full well that the underlying bill has consensus. If there's anything that is frustrating the American people, it is that when we have something that we agree upon, that [Republicans] turn it into something that we can't agree on.”

“If the issue is comprehensive immigration reform and you don't like what the President's doing, bring a bill to the Floor. Show us what you want to do. Let us vote on it. Send it to the Senate. See what they do. And then, if they pass it, send it to the President. But don't hold hostage the Department of Homeland Security. Don't put Americans at risk. Don't turn a bipartisan consensus agreement into partisan gridlock, which the Americans hate and which puts them at risk.”