[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 33 (Thursday, February 26, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H1173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              DHS SHUTDOWN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Washington (Ms. DelBene) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, in my State of Washington, we are very 
familiar with the vital role the Department of Homeland Security plays. 
Nearly 1 year ago, in a matter of seconds, 1 square mile of land slid 
into the Stillaguamish River near Oso, Washington.
  That landslide was a heartbreaking disaster that was unbelievably 
devastating in the damage and the tragic loss of life that it caused. 
Forty-three people died in the blink of an eye. But FEMA, which is part 
of the Department of Homeland Security, was immediately on the scene to 
coordinate search-and-rescue operations.
  Mr. Speaker, Congress needs to do everything possible to ensure that 
resources are available to respond to disasters because landslides have 
no season, earthquakes have no season, and terrorist attacks have no 
season. By failing to fund the Department of Homeland Security, the 
Congress risks the lives of Americans, and that is simply unacceptable.
  Now, some have said that most employees will be deemed essential, 
meaning they will be asked to do their already high pressure jobs of 
protecting our communities without pay. That will be the case for more 
than 6,000 workers in my State. But FEMA Administrator Fugate said a 
lapse in funding would delay urgent disaster relief services because he 
would have to call staff back to work while the agency responds to an 
emergency.
  Not only that, emergency responders who have requested Department of 
Homeland Security grants would be left without much-needed assistance. 
The Whatcom County Fire District 18, a mostly volunteer force that 
serves part of my district, applied for a $24,000 firefighters grant to 
replace vital equipment. This is equipment that protects the lives of 
these volunteers who are saving the lives of others. But if Congress 
fails to fund the Department of Homeland Security, those grants are at 
risk.
  If House leadership would simply bring a clean DHS funding bill to 
the floor, we have the votes to pass it today. But instead, that 
legislation is being held hostage because some disagree with the 
President's executive actions.
  Mr. Speaker, I helped introduce H.R. 15, a comprehensive immigration 
reform bill during the last Congress. But we never got a vote. If 
leadership agrees that this is such an important issue, so important 
that it is worth defunding an essential federal agency, then Congress 
should be working right now on comprehensive immigration reform and 
consider legislation immediately--but after we finish our job of 
funding the Department of Homeland Security. We need to stop playing 
politics and fund the Department of Homeland Security now.

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