[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2398]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             IT IS TIME TO BE CONSTRUCTIVE, NOT OBSTRUCTIVE

  (Mr. RUPPERSBERGER asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, as we saw from the horrific terrorist 
attack in Paris, now is not the time to be cutting funding for programs 
that protect Americans from enemies intent on doing us harm.
  I am dismayed that some lawmakers are supporting punitive and ill-
informed legislation to defund the Department of Homeland Security 
because they disagree with President Obama's recent executive action on 
the deportation of undocumented immigrants.
  It is wrong to play political football with something as sacred as 
our national security. Even if you disagree with the President's 
immigration policy, it is irresponsible to withhold funding from the 
agencies that protect Americans from terrorists.
  I know from my experience as ranking member of the House Intelligence 
Committee that this is a dangerous world. We must fully fund Homeland 
Security priorities--including Secret Service, the Coast Guard, and 
border security--through a Department of Homeland Security 
Appropriations bill, while separately debating comprehensive 
immigration reform.
  Let's stop the ideological partisan politics and do what the American 
people want us to do: protect our homeland, our communities, and our 
families. It is time to be constructive, not obstructive.

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