[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2663]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              DHS SHUTDOWN

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, there are just 2 days left until the 
Department of Homeland Security shuts down. The Department charged with 
keeping Americans safe is set to run out of funding tomorrow all 
because Republicans in Congress insist on manufacturing political 
crises instead of working to help hardworking Americans get ahead.
  A shutdown would mean that those charged every day with protecting 
our safety would all be expected to report for duty without any promise 
of a paycheck. In my home State of New Jersey, that would mean that 
over 4,000 Department of Homeland Security employees, including nearly 
1,600 Active Duty Coast Guard members, would go to work without any 
pay.
  Payments to help Sandy victims recover would also not be able to be 
processed in the event of a shutdown. Those families have already 
suffered enough. They don't need a Republican shutdown making things 
even more difficult.
  Ensuring the safety of the American people should never be a partisan 
issue. And now is the time to come together and do what is right to 
protect all of our families.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up H.R. 
861, the clean Department of Homeland Security funding bill that would 
keep the Department open so it can carry out its mission of keeping the 
American people safe.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. As the Chair previously advised, that 
request cannot be entertained absent appropriate clearance.

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