[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 24 (Thursday, February 12, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S976-S977]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY FUNDING

  Mr. CARPER. As the Presiding Officer, along with Senator Johnson and 
myself, met the men and women of the Border Patrol last weekend, 
including Agent Garza, we heard about their work, and it is hard to 
ignore the fact that they might not know if they will be getting a 
paycheck next month when the continuing resolution which funds the 
Department of Homeland Security expires in actually about 2 weeks, on 
February 27.
  Many of them don't know if they will be able to obtain the technology 
or supplies they need to do the jobs as effectively as possible either. 
This is not the way we would want to be treated if we were in their 
shoes, but it is how I think we are treating the men and women who work 
around the clock to protect our borders and to keep our Nation safe and 
secure. Those of us here in Congress can change that, and I think we 
should.
  Two of our colleagues--Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and 
Barbara Mikulski of Maryland--have introduced a clean appropriations 
bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security for the 
balance of the fiscal year, up through the end of September. Overall, 
the funding provisions in their bill, S. 272, which I understand both 
Democrats and Republicans on the Appropriations Committee agreed to in 
December--just 2 months ago--provide just under $40 billion in 
discretionary funding for the Department of Homeland Security for the 
remainder of the fiscal year. I think that is an increase from year to 
year of about $400 million. It sounds like a lot money. It is about a 
1-percent 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 Department's critical mission and the 
security needs of our Nation.
  The clean bill put forward by Senators Shaheen and Mikulski would

[[Page S977]]

take additional measures to secure order and enforce our immigration 
laws--something 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 Shaheen-Mikulski 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 Protection--an increase of 
approximately $118 million above last year's enacted level. This 
funding level would support the largest operational force levels for 
the agency in its history--a 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 
resolution--or worse, shuts down--we just won't be as effective as we 
ought to be in securing our Nation's borders. If Congress forces a 
shutdown of the Department--I hope we won't--frontline personnel would 
be asked to continue to work without pay. We met some of them just a 
few days ago when we were on the border. They don't look like fast 
boats, but they move pretty good. We went zipping up and down the Rio 
Grande River looking for people trying to slip across the border, 
looking for folks who were trying to bring contraband--drugs, illegal 
drugs--across the border.
  There are some 40,000 Customs and Border Protection officers who are 
needed to keep our borders secure. If we allow the funding for the 
Department to lapse on February 27, we are going to expect these guys 
and gals to still come to work. We are not going to pay them, at least 
not in a timely way.
  If Congress continues to keep the Department on a continuing 
resolution, Immigration and Customs Enforcement will see a shortfall--I 
am told a little over half a billion dollars--to respond to 
unaccompanied minors and families with children.
  In addition, Customs and Border Protection won't be able replace or 
upgrade border surveillance technology, including upgrades to obsolete 
remote and mobile video surveillance systems in the high-risk area of 
the Rio Grande Valley.
  The drone is a pilotless aircraft. We fly aircraft similar to these 
all over the planet. We fly a number of them along the border of our 
country with Mexico in an effort to try to see, visualize, and detect 
people making their way to our border, maybe just to come across, maybe 
to flee a bad situation in their own country. Maybe it is to bring 
drugs or other things that are illegal into our country. We are not 
going to be able to replace or upgrade this kind of technology and 
bring it to high-risk areas along the Rio Grande Valley.
  Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson recently said--
I want to quote Secretary Johnson just briefly. He said, ``Border 
security is not free. The men and women of [the Department of Homeland 
Security] need a partner in Congress to fund their efforts.'' He added, 
``Time is running out.'' Those were his words. I couldn't agree with 
him more.
  In the next week or so, I pray that those of us in Congress will come 
together and will do what I believe is the right thing; that is, 
support the passage of a clean full-year appropriations bill for the 
remainder of this fiscal year for the Department of Homeland Security 
and do it by February 27.
  After we have done that, for God's sake, let's get to work on 
crafting thoughtful, comprehensive, bipartisan immigration reform law 
for our country, one that better secures our borders, one that 
strengthens our economy, and one that reduces our budget deficit over 
the next two decades by hundreds of billions of dollars. That is what 
we ought to do. I would pledge here today to my colleagues, Democrats 
and Republicans, one or two Independents, and our Presiding Officer, 
that we will meet you in the middle and do our dead level best to make 
sure we meet our responsibilities.
  With that, I am looking for others on the floor who may want to 
speak. I don't see anybody.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sasse). The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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