Rep. Loretta Sanchez and House Democrats Call for Clean DHS Funding Measure

Statement

Rep. Loretta Sanchez today joined House Democrats including Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Judiciary Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI) and Judiciary Member Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) at a press conference calling for Republicans to fund a clean Homeland Security funding bill. Below are Rep. Sanchez's remarks in English and Spanish as prepared for delivery.

"Today we are here to discuss the way the Republican majority has decided to run this new Congress. They're willing to shut down the agency that detects, deters and responds to threats to our Homeland. They must have a good reason, right? Wrong. They would rather focus on scoring political points. They're stopping programs our law enforcement agencies rely on because they want to deport DREAM Act kids. They're putting our homeland security - our entire way of life - at risk because they want to separate mothers from their children.

"In fact, if their aim is to secure our homeland then they should stop threatening the livelihoods of those individuals that protect our borders and our airports. The hardworking people and their paychecks at the Border Patrol, the Secret Service and TSA are less important to Republicans than making a political point to satisfy the farthest extreme of their base. They should get their priorities straight.

"In fact, they are willing to try and ram through a radical border security bill with no Democrat support or input by the Department. Then it gets pulled from the floor because it does not go far enough! There is a phrase in Spanish that describes this behavior: "no tienen verguenza. They have no shame.

"Ya basta! Enough is enough! Stop playing games with our national security; put forward a clean funding bill."

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