[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 4, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H1576]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              FUNDING DHS

  (Ms. HAHN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express relief that Congress has 
funded the Department of Homeland Security. We averted an unnecessary 
and harmful crisis. We should not have reached a point where the 
Department was on the brink of a shutdown.
  The Department of Homeland Security was created after the devastating 
September 11 terrorist attacks and performs vital functions to protect 
Americans against ongoing terrorist threats. We are talking about FEMA, 
which responds to emergencies and disasters; TSA, which makes flying 
safer; the Secret Service; Customs and Border Protection; and other 
important services.
  The Coast Guard, which patrols our waters and helps protect 
communities like mine near the Port of Los Angeles, is also a part of 
the Department of Homeland Security. We must do even more to improve 
port security, and shutting down the Department would have been a step 
backwards.
  We must stop the crisis-to-crisis governing around here. The American 
people deserve better than this sort of political brinksmanship.

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