On February 2, 2015 Senator Harry Reid of Nevada asked for and was granted permission to address the United States Senate regarding the Department of Homeland Security funding proposal:
“Mr. President, there is an issue that is now before this body. It is an important issue. All we need to look at is what is going on around the world–terrorism attack in Australia; terrorism attack in Canada; in France, scores of people killed. We saw what happened in Belgium. Terrorism is for real. Senator McCaskill said it about the best way I have seen it described. The Republicans are more afraid of the DREAMers than they are of ISIS. By the way, ISIS said they are coming our way. Why should we be dealing with issues that have nothing to do with homeland security?
We should pass a homeland security bill with no strings attached to it. That is where we are going to wind up. If the Republican majority in the House and the Senate wants to have a CR for Homeland Security–a continuing resolution–that would cut about $1 billion out of the budget for Homeland Security.
Homeland Security was developed after 9/11. It was a bipartisan piece of legislation that consolidated 22 different government agencies. We need to get that done and sent to the President in a clean fashion. If my Republican colleagues have some problem with something the President has done on immigration, for example, hit it head-on. Do not hide behind Homeland Security. We need a safe homeland. I hope my Republican colleagues will join us to get that done as quickly as possible.”
Source: Congressional Record
See video: Sen. Reid pushes DHS funding https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg60Hg9SzuI