Tim Kaine expresses support for clean Homeland Security funding bill

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined his Democratic colleagues to advocate a clean bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and block Republican attempts to play politics with the agency’s funding and risk a shutdown of the critical agency over disagreements with the President’s immigration actions.

“Republicans are threatening to stop funding DHS unless we reverse the President’s immigration actions,” Kaine said in remarks on the Senate floor this week. “I can understand there are members of the House who may not like those actions. … The great thing is, they have got an ability to do something different. The house with, a significant Republican majority, can pass their own immigration reform bill. … But we can have that debate without holding hostage the funding of the third largest agency in government – without holding hostage the work that agency does every day to keep us safe.”

“The kinds of threats that we have to face abroad and at home are tough, challenging, difficult threats. And we have professionals on the front line everyday – many of whom are risking their lives for us – to try to stop these threats. Let’s not starve their work, let’s not hamper their work, let’s not make them face the threat of a shutdown or losing their salary – losing their livelihood – while we wait for Congress to have a meaningful debate about immigration. I urge funding for a clean DHS bill.”