Press Release

February 24, 2015
Cardin Urges Colleagues to Reject Brinkmanship, Pass Clean DHS Funding Bill

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) called on the Senate leadership to finally bring a clean funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to the floor for a vote after the Senate, predictably, failed to approve cloture for a fourth time on H.R 240, The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Act of 2015. Congress has five days to fund DHS or force most of the agency to carry out their mission on behalf of the American public without pay.

 

“Four times, the Senate has voted on a politically charged DHS funding bill. Four times, Democrats and an increasing number of Republicans have spoken out against putting political theater ahead of our homeland security. With less than five days until DHS’s critically important missions are put in jeopardy, the time for this type of brinkmanship has long since passed.

 

“I urge Leader McConnell to bring the clean Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations funding bill (S. 272) to the floor for a vote. S.272 funds our border security at a level above the House bill that has failed four times. I understand that some members on the other side of the aisle are upset by the President’s Executive Action on immigration. They’ve made their point. The workers at Department of Homeland Security, the local first responders that the agency trains and funds, as well as the country that they protect are not the proper targets for this partisan anger. Right now, Congress needs to show the American people that we are capable of breaking this horrible cycle of lurching from self-created crisis to self-created crisis by passing a clean funding bill to protect our nation.”       

 

###

X