[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 3160]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY FUNDING

  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, today the House adopted the Department 
of Homeland Security funding bill without poison pill riders. The bill 
passed the Senate on Friday, and will fund the Department of Homeland 
Security through September 30, 2015--the end of fiscal year 2015.
  I am glad Congress finally put partisanship aside and funded the 
security of the American people. And, I want to thank all those who 
protect our country, from the Coast Guard to the Secret Service, to 
cyber security professionals and intelligence analysts. Your funds are 
secure.
  The mission of the Department of Homeland Security is to protect 
America from terrorism and help communities respond to all threats, 
including those from terrorists and natural disasters. This is a good 
bill and there was no disagreement on the funding. In December, working 
with Senator Coats and Senator Landrieu, and our House colleagues, we 
agreed that vital funding for the Department of Homeland Security would 
total $46 billion--over $1 billion more than a continuing funding 
resolution.
  I am glad this responsible bill to fund the mission of the Department 
of Homeland Security and its employees is heading to the President's 
desk. DHS employees are on the job every day. The Coast Guard is 
literally breaking ice to keep the economy flowing. The Secret Service 
is protecting the President and fighting credit card fraud. Border 
Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are securing our 
borders and enforcing our immigration laws. The Federal Emergency 
Management Agency is preparing for and responding to disasters, 
including hurricanes and blizzards. There are cyber warriors securing 
our networks. And through grant programs the funding supports State and 
local law enforcement, fire fighters, and EMS. Now, after 5 months, we 
have done our job to put the resources into the hands of the workers 
who defend America.
  It is my hope that with passage of the homeland security funding 
bill, Congress can end the era of divisive shutdown politics. The 
millions of men and women serving in our military and the civil 
service, who work every day to make this a better Nation, deserve 
respect and the resources to do their jobs.
  Looking ahead, I look forward to working across the aisle and across 
the dome to debate and complete all 12 fiscal year 2016 appropriations 
bills in an orderly way, without poison pill riders.

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