Congresswoman Corrine Brown cosponsored H.R. 861, a clean funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, to fund the Department of Homeland Security through the end of the fiscal year, and prevent a February 28th shutdown of the agency charged with coordinating efforts to prevent, as well as respond to, acts of terrorism on American soil.
"I am a proud co-sponsor of this bill because I know that the safety of the people in Florida's 5th district comes before politics, even though House Republicans have ignored the facts and held hostage the agency that leads our efforts to keep America safe from terrorism," Rep. Brown said. "Irresponsible Republican obstructionism -- from putting forward a DHS spending bill riddled with anti-immigrant policy attachments to voting to block a clean bill -- threatens the security of every American family. With timing running out, it is imperative that we act swiftly to pass this clean bill to stop this Republican shutdown of our homeland security."
Last week, House Republicans unanimously voted to block consideration of the clean bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, even after Republican Leaders in the Senate declared Republicans' anti-immigrant bill dead on arrival. Without passage of the DHS appropriations bill, the bulk of DHS's management and support of the homeland security infrastructure that was built following the 9/11 terrorist attacks will close down.
Consequences of a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security include: shuttering the DHS Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, which would no longer alert and coordinate with local law enforcement agencies, and withholding the Securing the Cities grants that pay for critical nuclear detection capabilities in cities across the country; halting Research and Development work on countermeasures to devastating biological threats, on nuclear detection equipment, and on cargo and passenger screening technologies; crippling FEMA's preparations for future disasters, furloughing 22 percent of FEMA personnel; and ending FEMA training activities with local law enforcement for Weapons of Mass Destruction events.
H.R. 861, the bill introduced by Democrats and co-sponsored by Congresswoman Brown, would avert a shutdown and provide long-term funding to the Department of Homeland Security.