Chairman Arrington at Rules Hearing: Republicans Are Going to Fund Our Government

Chairman Arrington at Rules Hearing: Republicans Are Going to Fund Our Government

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) testified before the House Rules Committee on S.Con.Res. 33, which unlocks reconciliation to fully fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).

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Remarks as delivered:

"We're here today to stop the political nonsense and dangerous brinkmanship of our Democrat colleagues who for 72 days and 16 votes have held the Department of Homeland Security and the American people who depend on their services hostage over ridiculous and reckless demands that would effectively imperil not only the safety of our federal law enforcement agencies, but the American people.

"It would, as a result, defund ICE and CBP and revert back to the four years of lawlessness and chaos from the open border.

"Madam Chair, this is serious business. This isn't just about the inconvenience at airports or the extenuating circumstances under which we fund our federal government.

"This is an unprecedented and sustained national security and public safety threat, and it has to stop. That's why we're here.

"We're here because our ports need to be defended from the trafficking of people and drugs and protected from terrorist attacks like we saw in Austin, Texas, or the failed ISIS attacks in the heart of New York City, or what happened to the President and the Cabinet members and all those at the Correspondent's Dinner. And we could go on and on.

"It is completely unacceptable to not fund the federal government, and especially the Department of Homeland Security. CISA agents cannot defend our critical infrastructure against hostile hacks, and the list goes on.

"Without the support and collegiality and the good faith negotiations...we have to resort to a measure to do what the American people, again, for 72 days have been praying we would do and come to our senses and do the right thing.

"If it weren't for the President's intervention, these poor folks at Homeland Security, the employees, the hardworking public servants, would have gone without pay for over 100 days.

"Next week... if we don't act unilaterally as responsible leaders for our country, they would go without pay. Enough is enough.

"We're going to do what I believe is the right thing, and we're going to fund our government. That includes those who protect us and risk their lives to enforce our immigration laws and to deport the criminal aliens who are in this country putting our communities and our families at risk."