National Security
Democrats are committed to enhancing our national security and advancing key American interests, while supporting human rights and democratic values at home and abroad.
In the 117th Congress, Democrats passed a bipartisan defense authorization bill that strengthened our national security, ensured our military personnel have the resources they need to defend our country, and bolstered our allies and international interests. In the 118th Congress, Democrats will build on these gains by continuing to help President Biden keep Americans safe.
We will continue to work with the Administration to provide our diplomats and our troops with the tools needed to carry out their missions abroad safely and effectively. This will include continuing to work with our allies to ensure Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine ends in defeat for Putin, that America maintains its competitiveness against China’s authoritarian challenges, and that the world is free from threats posed by Iran.
Today, Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke before a joint meeting of Congress regarding the ongoing negotiations with Iran, and I share his concerns about the trustworthiness of Iran’s leaders.
There is a time to debate, and there is a time to decide. Today it was a time to decide.
The Senate has now voted to reject House Republicans’ approach of making funding for the Department of Homeland Security contingent on partisan immigration amendments.
After Republicans nearly shut down the Department of Homeland Security on Friday, a seven-day continuing resolution is in place to give Congress time to pass legislation funding DHS for the entire fiscal year.
Well, the Majority Leader just said that we are going to be having further votes, which is good.
The Senate has sent us a bill, 68-31, over two-thirds of the Senate, which is the bill that the Republicans agreed to out of the Appropriations Committee in December.
I join her in thanking Mr. [John] Carter and Mr. [Hal] Rogers for bringing to the Floor in December a Homeland Security bill that was appropriate, that funded at the levels that were agreed upon by both parties.
Mr. Speaker, what we ought to have the courage to do is to tell all our Homeland Security personnel: ‘We're going to fund you through the end of this year’ – as we have told every other employee in the federal government that is protecting us and serving us on a day-to-day basis.
In less than 48 hours, the Department of Homeland Security will run out of funding and shut down, putting our national security at risk at a time when we face threats at home and abroad.
The fact of the matter is the CR gives very limited funding ability to the [Department of Homeland Security]. Jeh Johnson, the Secretary [of DHS] has made it very clear this is undermining their ability to act now.