DHS Shutdown

Floor Speech

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Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on the House to fund
the Department of Homeland Security and avoid an unnecessary shutdown.
Instead of having a real debate about fixing a broken immigration
system, Congress is putting at risk government operations that serve
the people we represent and is playing politics with the livelihoods of
our Federal workers.

Threatening to shut down a Federal agency because you disagree with
the President's actions is an irresponsible approach. We have got to
move away from this kind of dysfunctional government and get back to
legislating.

That is what the American people sent us here to do. This current
fight is exhibit number one of why folks don't think Congress works for
them. The folks I represent want to see a government that is
responsive, that provides needed services, and that supports economic
growth.

Mr. Speaker, folks in my region deal in reality. Earlier this year,
residents and businesses in the cities of Aberdeen and Hoquiam and
Grays Harbor County, Washington, were swamped by heavy rains. Mudslides
and flooding put people's lives at risk and took a toll on
neighborhoods that they call home.

Local officials were looking for help, and they got it when the
Homeland Security Region 3 Incident Management Team came to town. This
team worked with locals on the ground to execute the best recovery plan
to get people back on their feet.

Are we willing to tell workers like that, who lend a hand at a
moment's notice, to go without pay or take a furlough? Are we willing
to tell communities in need that when they call for help, there is no
one there?

Fourteen percent of the Department's workforce is facing furloughs.
This isn't an invisible workforce. These are staffers who administer
grants to local governments. They are fire departments and emergency
responders after devastating storms.

These are the people who are helping the emergency teams that are on
the ground in places like Hoquiam, Washington. That staff won't be able
to process emergency requests, won't be able to do their jobs because
Congress isn't doing its job.

We should also consider the over 80 percent of Homeland Security
employees who will stay on without pay. What kind of message are we
sending members of our Coast Guard or our Border Patrol or the
Department when we tell them to work without pay? Mortgage payment?
Still got to pay it. Utility bills? Still do. Grocery bill? Still got
to eat. But paycheck? Sorry.

It is true. If the crew of a ship faced trouble in Washington State's
waters, the Coast Guard would still swing into action, but that crew
wouldn't get paid for their work, and some of their support staff might
not be back at headquarters to help them.

I have already heard from members of the Coast Guard, spouses of
Department employees, and everyday citizens worried about how this will
impact our communities and our national security because, in my home
State of Washington, there are over 6,000 Department workers and we
have five Coast Guard stations alone in my region.

Shutdowns like this have ripple effects into our local economies,
too. When workers aren't getting pay or their pay is delayed,
sacrifices are made. Less money is spent at the grocery store. Friday
night dinners out are stopped. Family vacations are canceled or
delayed.

It impacts local restaurants, local hotels, and small businesses. We
have seen this movie before. Businesses everywhere took a hit when the
customers they rely on aren't sure when exactly their next paycheck
will come.

Finally, we don't motivate our Federal workforce by engaging in these
stunts. We are proud of our Federal workforce in my region. Too often,
Congress does not let them know that what they do is important. Too
often, they are a bargaining chip in a political fight.

I came to Congress to give people confidence that their government
was not broken, that it is staffed with workers dedicated to making a
meaningful impact in their lives and in the lives of American citizens.
We will not see qualified and motivated folks join a workforce that
faces continuous threats to the job they do every day when the message
to our workers and to local businesses is that politics is more
important than their paychecks.

I want to end by mentioning, yesterday, former Secretary of Homeland
Security Tom Ridge said that this shutdown was ``wrong'' and ``folly.''
He said: ``These are soldiers at DHS. They wear a different uniform,
but the goal and objective and mission is the same--keeping America as
safe as possible.''

Mr. Speaker, let's keep America safe, and let's reject this shutdown.

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