Thune: Securing America Starts With Funding DHS, Not Defunding Police

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WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:

Thune's remarks below (as delivered):

"Mr. President, the situation at U.S. airports continues to worsen, thanks to Democrats' refusal to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

"Thousands of Homeland Security employees have been working without pay for more than a month.

"The problems of having an unfunded Homeland Security Department continue to multiply.

"And Democrats?

"Well, they just seem to shrug.

"I guess the Democrats' 43-day full-government shutdown from earlier this fiscal year ought to have made it clear that Democrats are happy to deprive government workers of their salaries if it serves their political ends.

"But I still marvel at the fact that Democrats have been willing to deprive some government employees of pay for almost 80 days now over the course of less than six months.

"To say nothing of their willingness to defund law enforcement and jeopardize national security.

"Thirty-six days the Department of Homeland Security has been shut down now, Mr. President.

"The White House has offered a substantial number of reforms to Democrats.

"But Democrats have yet to move a step off their original list of demands.

"And I hope that will change.

"So far, the concept of negotiation - which involves compromise and give-and-take - seems utterly lost [on] them.

"Or perhaps it's simply that Democrats don't want a solution here.

"After all, if they get reforms - like the many of the reforms the White House has offered - Democrats might not be able to use this as a campaign issue.

"And I strongly suspect that Democrats are less interested in fixing problems than they are in having issues that they can use in the November election.

"Of course, I would caution them that their renewed commitment to defunding law enforcement may not play as well as they think it will.

"Democrats had to dial back on their hostility to law enforcement once before for political reasons.

"It turns out, Mr. President, that defunding the police and defunding law enforcement isn't such a popular issue, after all.

"So perhaps they should think twice before making defunding law enforcement and Homeland Security their signature issue this November."

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