[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 173 (Thursday, October 26, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1441-E1442]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   DHS ACCOUNTABILITY ENHANCEMENT ACT

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                               speech of

                  HON. HENRY C. ``HANK'' JOHNSON, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 23, 2017

  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4038, 
the Department of Homeland Security Accountability Enhancement Act. 
This legislation works to ensure stability in our nation's Department 
of Homeland Security (DHS) by requiring the Secretary to submit 
organizational changes for congressional approvaL
  Our government is built upon a balance of power; arrangement has 
helped sustain our country for hundreds of years and is one of the most 
fundamental properties of our nation. H.R. 4038 ensures oversight of 
the DHS to guarantee that an appropriate balance of power is 
maintained. The DHS, the third largest department in the federal 
government, has already absorbed the Immigration and Naturalization 
Service and reorganized three new agencies since its creation in 2002. 
If the Secretary of DHS has the power to make extensive changes, he/she 
should be held accountable for them and should be required to obtain 
approval from Congress.
  Furthermore, the current administration has been defined by 
unprecedented instability in the White House, with an extremely large 
turnover rate in President Trump's cabinet and administration. The DHS 
currently has no Secretary and is being run by an acting head who did 
not obtain congressional approval through the nomination process. This 
legislation would

[[Page E1442]]

prevent a Secretary that was not confirmed by the Senate from making 
changes without approval from the American people.
  I support H.R. 4038 and I support demanding accountability from the 
cabinet departments. I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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