Speech #1140010399

I was proud to go every time. but I dont want to see Americans have to keep going back to that part of the world because we cant provide for our security here at home. We have a lot of work to do in this Congress. and a lot of it requires bipartisan cooperation. Immigration is one of those issues. It is an issue that we need to debate on the floor of the House. We need to take up the Senate bill for comprehensive immigration reform. debate its merits. and decide whether it does enough to ensure the safety of our borders and the future of those who aspire to be Americans. but none of that should happen at the expense of our Nations security. The crisis that we are facing today is the result of partisan politics that places the safety and the lives of the American people at risk. Last week I returned from a trip to the Middle East. and I learned that the threat of a terrorist attack on the United States is real. Terrorist organizations including ISIL pose a serious national security threat and have made clear their intentions to commit acts of terrorism both abroad and here at home. Our number one responsibility as members of Congress is to prevent that from happening and keep Americans safe. Holding hostage the funding for the Department of Homeland Security over the Presidents executive action on immigration is a disservice to the men and women who put their lives on the line everyday both at home and abroad to protect us all. There is no doubt that Congress needs to address immigration reform. It is an issue that is deserving of a debate and I look forward to participating in that discussion with both Democrats and Republicans. However. attaching immigration policy to this appropriations legislation is simply irresponsible and hijacks the intellectual debate that should take place on this Floor. If you disagree with the Presidents actions. then lets have that debate. However. with such threats to the security of the American people. now is not the time to play political games with an agency that is charged with protecting the homeland from acts of terrorism. If Congress fails to fund the Department of Homeland Security. agencies and grant programs critical to the safety of Americans will no longer be able to carry out the responsibilities that they were created to uphold. including the TSA. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the United States Coast Guard. 85% of all enlisted Coast Guard personnel do not live on basethey cannot afford to miss a rent or mortgage payment on their homes. Many Americans dont realize this. but not only are Coast Guardsmen important to the safety of fishermen in my home state of Massachusetts and to all coastal states. but they are also deployed globally alongside our military in support of critical national security missions. When I was in Iraq.