In particular. I wish to emphasize what I think is the important imperative that we pass what we are calling a clean bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security for the remainder of fiscal year 2015 through the end of September. That clean bill would be a bill that would fund homeland security without attaching additional items to it concerning immigration. The support of this legislation was an initiative we were together on. We negotiated in December as part of a budget process by leaders of both parties in both Chambers. and the funding for DHS would have been an increase to help protect our borders and help protect our security by about $1.2 billion above the enacted level for fiscal year 2014. But at the end of the year the decision was made by the House to not fund that piece and leave it separately and that is why we are now talking about whether we will fund the Nations homeland security efforts and under what circumstances. All 45 Members on the Democratic side. save only Senator REID. have written a letter saying lets make sure we fund DHS at the level we have already agreed to between the Houses. Then. lets not play politics over immigration issues. lets take up immigration separately. But the House bill that has been sent to us includes measures to begin to block or unwind actions taken by the President on immigration. and those complicate what all should agree is a national imperative. which is the need to fund homeland security. If we dont pass such a bill. that funding will expire on February 28. I dont need to explain too much why homeland security funding is important. but let me make a few points.
Keywords matched
immigration