Speech #1140009378

It is about a 1percent increase above 2014 funding. This bill would ensure that Department employees get their paychecks on time and have the resources they need to best meet the Departments critical mission and the security needs of our Nation. The clean bill put forward by Senators SHAHEEN and MIKULSKI would take additional measures to secure order and enforce our immigration lawssomething that I know is a priority to me and I know to our colleagues on both sides of the aisle. In fact. most of the funding increase in the ShaheenMikulski bill would go to border security and immigration enforcement. The bill our colleagues have put forward contains a little more than $10 million for Customs and Border Protectionan increase of approximately $118 million above last years enacted level. This funding level would support the largest operational force levels for the agency in its historya total of more than 21.000 Border Patrol agents and nearly 24.000 enforcement officers. But if the Department of Homeland Security remains on a continuing resolutionor worse. shuts downwe just wont be as effective as we ought to be in securing our Nations borders. If Congress forces a shutdown of the DepartmentI hope we wontfrontline personnel would be asked to continue to work without pay.