[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 33 (Thursday, February 26, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H1169]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              WE ARE ONCE AGAIN ON THE BRINK OF A SHUTDOWN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
Mexico (Mr. Ben Ray Lujan) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BEN RAY LUJAN of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, we are only days away 
from a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
  When Republicans took control of the House and Senate, they pledged 
to avoid more government shutdowns. Instead, we have, sadly, learned 
that Speaker Boehner and Leader Mitch McConnell went nearly 2 weeks--2 
weeks--without talking, and their failure to govern us has us, once 
again, on the brink of a shutdown.
  I have been shocked and disappointed to hear some of my Republican 
colleagues say that a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security 
would not be a serious issue and try to minimize its impact on people, 
minimize its impact on workers, and even try to minimize its impact on 
America.
  In my home State of New Mexico, a border State, where we have many 
men and women who proudly serve our country as employees of the Border 
Patrol, the TSA, and other agencies, getting furloughed or working 
without a paycheck is a serious issue.
  If Republicans continue down this path, paychecks will stop, but rent 
and mortgages and utility bills for these workers will not.
  Time and again, House Republicans have failed to govern, moving only 
from one crisis to the next. Sadly, the failure to fund DHS is the 
latest manufactured crisis that will have a real impact on working 
families in New Mexico and across America while needlessly putting our 
national security at risk.
  It is time for congressional Republicans to stop putting their 
political security ahead of national security and pass a clean bill. It 
is time for House Republicans to stop catering to the extreme anti-
immigration wing of their party that is willing to sacrifice our 
Nation's security in order to attack DREAMers who are going to college 
and serving our great Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, the eyes of the American people are watching this 
Republican-led Congress, and so far, all they have seen is gridlock and 
dysfunction.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States Senate is moving forward to fund the 
Department of Homeland Security. House Democrats are ready to support a 
clean bill. The only ones standing in the way of preventing a 
Department of Homeland Security shutdown are House Republicans. For our 
country's sake, let us hope that changes.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up H.R. 
861, the clean Department of Homeland Security funding bill that will 
keep the Department open so it can carry out its mission of keeping the 
American people safe.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 6, 2015, the House is in session solely for the purpose of 
conducting morning-hour debate. Therefore, that unanimous consent 
request cannot be entertained.

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