Thompson Condemns Homeland Security Bill
(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, released the following statement expressing grave concern following passage of H.R. 2017, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2012, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives today by a vote of 231 to 188:
This bill is simply an assault against the progress we've made protecting the homeland over the past ten years.
I voted against this bill because not only did it arbitrarily cut the DHS budget, but it ignores gaps in preparedness grants for first responders and counterterrorism initiatives. Furthering the Republican anti-worker political agenda, this bill prevents TSA screeners from collective bargaining rights and calls for the elimination of up to 8,000 critical jobs.
Homeland Security should be a bipartisan issue but this shows how much the Republican leadership cares about homeland security. I will work to fix the severe problems of this bill as it moves through the legislative process and am hopeful for a better end product.
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