[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 158 (Thursday, September 28, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E901]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024

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                               speech of

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 27, 2023

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong 
opposition to this extreme MAGA measure. The 260,000 dedicated men and 
women who served honorable on the frontlines protecting our Nation's 
borders, skies, waterways, and critical infrastructure are watching the 
House with great anxiety. They are just days away from being told that 
they will have to work indefinitely without pay or alternatively, will 
not be able to work at all and support their households. And when they 
turn their eyes to this chamber, what do they see? And what are House 
Republicans doing about it? Are they taking decisive action to 
forestall the devastating impact of the shutdown on DHS' ability to 
carry out its vital missions? Regrettably, no.
  Instead, consumed by infighting, they have decided to rally around an 
extreme MAGA DHS funding bill that will most certainly never be 
transmitted to the Senate. Yes, you heard that right. With the passage 
of the rule, at the conclusion of consideration of H.R. 4367, the 
Speaker will set aside this bill until H.R. 2, the ``Child Deportation 
Act'' is enacted. H.R. 2 will never be law.
  Forcing the House to engage in prolonged debate on dozens and dozens 
of extreme MAGA amendments instead of a continuing resolution to avert 
a catastrophic government shutdown is a terrible waste of the little 
time we have. The most extreme wing of the Republican party has 
hijacked what was supposed to be an orderly appropriations process.
  House Republicans go on and on about wanting to save money but they 
pay little mind to the hundreds of millions of dollars in costs, lost 
revenue, and late fees associated with shutting down and restarting the 
government. The U.S. travel sector alone is projecting economic losses 
in excess of $140 million a day during this impending shutdown.
  House Republicans say they care about the men and women of the U.S. 
Border Patrol yet are asking them to work without knowing when their 
next paycheck will come. A government shutdown will negatively impact 
the Department of Homeland Security's ability to address everything 
from cybersecurity threats posed by China to supporting disaster 
preparedness at the local level.
  Mr. Chair, we do not have enough time to get into all the damaging 
effects of the forthcoming shutdown on DHS. They are too numerable. I 
will, instead, use my remaining time to talk about House Republicans' 
proposed Homeland Security funding bill. It is so loaded with hyper-
partisan culture war nonsense that l almost don't know where to begin.
  H.R. 4367 includes policy riders to restrict inspections on 
immigration detention centers to ensure that facilities that they want 
to fill to the rafters are providing appropriate care. Catering to the 
fringe elements in their base, it prohibits gender-affirming care for 
immigrants held in detention and slashes funding from critically-
important oversight offices intended to protect the civil rights and 
civil liberties of Americans.
  Mr. Chair, my Republican colleagues assert that their extreme MAGA 
bill would give more money than ever, but they have little interest in 
ensuring that that oversight mechanism are actually funded to make sure 
the money is not wasted. l urge my colleagues to vote against this 
toxic, short-sighted, and needlessly cruel bill.

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