[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8189]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       POISON PILL AMENDMENT IN HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS

  (Mr. VEASEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today greatly saddened and 
disappointed in this House of Representatives. I was prepared to vote 
in support of the Homeland Security appropriations bill for the 
upcoming fiscal year, a bill that is supposed to ensure our local law 
enforcement, emergency responders, antiterrorism experts, and border 
security professionals have the resources they need to keep our country 
safe. Instead, we see a bipartisan and widely agreed upon bill that 
would fund Homeland Security efforts across the Nation be overtaken by 
a violently controversial amendment from the gentleman from Iowa that 
was included in the final passage of the bill.
  The last-minute amendment goes beyond the pale of discrimination by 
prohibiting funding to implement President Obama's deferred action plan 
from last year that would protect DREAMERs from deportation. This 
poison pill amendment endangers over 800,000 young undocumented 
immigrants who have no home other than the United States and only want 
a fair shot at an education and opportunity to pursue their passions 
out of the shadows.
  I voted against final passage of the Homeland Security appropriations 
bill because this amendment was allowed to be passed by the Republican 
majority, and I am deeply saddened that over 220 of my colleagues in 
this Chamber want to shatter those dreams.

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