On January 16 2015 Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan requested permission to address the United States House of Representatives concerning the Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2015:
“Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 240, the Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2015. Without further action by Congress, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will face a shutdown on February 28, 2015.
Everyone agrees DHS should receive robust funding to carry out their mission of keeping the American people safe, and I’m pleased to see there is bipartisan, bicameral agreement on funding levels for the agency. However, I am very disappointed that the Republican majority had decided to add poison-pill amendments to this legislation related to the President’s actions on immigration. This is putting the American people at risk and is unacceptable.
Global tensions remain high following the terrorist attacks in France, and we should not be letting down our guard at this critical time. Yet this is exactly what we are doing by passing H.R. 240 today.
This legislation has no chance of being signed into law, as President Obama has already said he would veto the bill. If my friends on the other side of the aisle are so concerned about immigration, they should work with Democrats in a bipartisan manner on comprehensive immigration reform. I stand ready to work with them on this critical issue.”
Source: Congressional Record
Note: Debbie Dingell is a newly elected Representative from Michigan.
See video: Debbie Dingell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gwkwwDkHuI