Top Dem: Congress will face backlash for DHS shutdown

Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.), the top Democrat overseeing appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security, urged the GOP on Tuesday to pass a “clean” funding bill without immigration-related riders.

Roybal-Allard, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee, expressed concern that some Republicans have indicated a temporary DHS shutdown wouldn’t impact security, since most workers would remain on the job, albeit without pay. 

{mosads}”While I do not question the prioritization of my colleagues on protecting our country, I do worry some fail to appreciate fully the negative impact of inappropriately using the 2015 DHS appropriations bill as leverage to reverse the president’s executive actions on immigration policy,” Roybal-Allard said on the House floor.

Most of the employees at agencies like Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are considered “essential” and would, therefore, still be required to work despite a departmental shutdown.

“Well, it is true frontline agents and officers like those at CBP, ICE, the Coast Guard and Secret Service would continue working, they would do so without being paid,” Roybal-Allard said. 

She suggested that Republicans would face public backlash in the event of a DHS shutdown.

“Is this fair to expect these dedicated Americans to put their lives on the line without pay and the ability to care for their families? I think not. And I believe the American people would agree on the unfairness of this proposal,” Roybal-Allard said.

DHS funding expires on Feb. 27. Both the House and Senate are scheduled to recess all of the next week for the Presidents’ Day holiday and will only have four days left to address the issue when they return.