[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2202]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             PASS THE HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS BILL

  (Mr. AGUILAR asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. AGUILAR. Mr. Speaker, today, once again, we find ourselves on the 
verge of a shutdown--because Congress can't do its job and pass funding 
for the Department of Homeland Security.
  Mr. Speaker, over a year ago, the Senate passed a bipartisan 
comprehensive immigration reform plan--a commonsense plan--that the 
House failed to pass. The House has failed to pass anything to address 
immigration reform, forcing the President to act.
  And now, Congress is playing politics, trying to roll back the 
President's reforms and threatening to force the American people to pay 
the price for Congress' inability to agree on funding to protect our 
homeland.
  Mr. Speaker, we cannot risk American jobs, lives, and the national 
security of the United States. We need to pass the Homeland Security 
Appropriations bill. We face many threats around the world. We cannot 
play games here.
  To my colleagues I ask you: Is it more important to score political 
points, or is it more important to safeguard our national security?
  Mr. Speaker, I am urging you today to bring a clean appropriations 
bill to the floor so we can fully fund the Department of Homeland 
Security. I urge my colleagues to join this effort.

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