Thompson Statement on FY 2016 Budget Request for DHS
(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, released the following statement on the President's FY 2016 Budget Request for the Department of Homeland Security:
I commend the President for his efforts to return the budget and appropriations process to regular order, and to force Congress to deal with the disastrous and arbitrary sequestration cuts that threaten our national security and domestic priorities. Overshadowing this request is the elephant in the room: the very real prospect of a government shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security, since the Majority continues to refuse to approve a clean full-year funding bill while playing politics with national security. Without a resolution to the current Republican-manufactured appropriations crisis, it is nearly impossible to assess the plausibility of Administration's vision for the future. That said, I support the overall funding level sought for DHS for FY 2016 and the Secretary's efforts to make DHS, and its components, more unified and effective. However, I am troubled that a number of proposals that Congress has repeatedly rejected – such as increases in airline security fees and consolidation of first responder grants – appear in this proposal.
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