Washington – Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, made the following remarks Monday regarding funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS):
“As chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, I am committed to keeping America safe and secure. President Obama, through Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, issued a number of executive actions that ignore current immigration law. These executive actions created a constitutional and political impasse over funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“Democratic senators are currently blocking a DHS funding bill from coming to the floor of the Senate to be debated, possibly amended, and voted up or down. A federal district court has now ruled that the Obama administration exceeded its executive authority by rewriting our immigration laws. The court also issued a temporary injunction preventing the administration from implementing these executive programs.
“Now that the judicial branch is involved, the courts ultimately will decide the constitutionality of the administration’s “deferred action” memorandum. Fortunately, Secretary Johnson has agreed that his department will be bound by court decisions. This means, and I expect, that DHS should immediately suspend all actions designed to implement these unlawful programs.
“In light of the threats America faces — from Islamic terrorists to cyber-attacks — the political impasse on DHS funding must end. Responsible members of both parties must work together to find some way to fund DHS without further delay. I will work to make certain the Department of Homeland Security is operating at full strength during these dangerous times.”