Americans are Paying the Price for Democrats’ Political Obstruction

"It's not a question of if the Democrat shutdown is hurting the American people. It is a matter of public record. Democrats are endangering Americans on the ground, in the skies, and even in cyberspace."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) today spoke about why Senate Democrats must join Republicans to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security.

Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso's remarks.

Sen. Barrasso's remarks:

"I come to the Floor this morning having just listened to the Minority Leader talk about the Department of Homeland Security, which the Democrats once again refuse to fund. How can the Minority Leader from New York have forgotten about why we have a Department of Homeland Security in the first place? It was set up after 9/11, after the Twin Towers were hit so that it could never happen again. And yet to sit here and listen to him talk about this component of it or that component, this was a program fundamentally set in place to protect our nation and our citizens from the terror that was rained upon us on 9/11. That's why the entire Department was brought together and funded.

"And now we hear the Minority Leader say, well, he wants to peel off this part and that part and take the Department apart, as we're trying to protect the country. And he said something about what the American people are wondering. What the American people are wondering today is why the Democrat Party continues to stand up for illegal immigrant criminals against law-abiding citizens. That's what I hear in Wyoming. Why in the world are Democrats wanting to stand up for illegal immigrant criminals and not hardworking American citizens?

"So, for the last 27 days, the Democrats have shut down the entire Department of Homeland Security, lock, stock, and barrel. TSA agents are missing their paychecks. Our nation's infrastructure is more vulnerable to cyberattacks. There have been two terrorist attacks by sympathizers in the last two weeks. The Minority Leader, if you listen to his comments, is completely out of touch with the American people and what people are worried about all across this country. And there they go again. Here we have it.

"Less than five months ago, Democrats shut down the government. The government stayed shut for 43 days. Now, we've gotten most of the government funded, but they continue to shut down the Department of Homeland Security for one reason and one reason only: because they want to protect illegal immigrant criminals. Democrats want to defund law enforcement. They want to abolish ICE. They want to turn America into a sanctuary country.

"Yesterday, Democrats once again blocked Republican efforts to reopen the Department of Homeland Security. The White House and Senate Republicans

have made offers and negotiated in good faith. Senate Democrats have not. What we are doing here is critical to the safety and security of the American people. This is funding for America's Homeland Security.

"This is the Department that oversees the TSA, the Coast Guard, the Secret Service, and America's cyber defenses. It is the Department that stops drug smugglers and human traffickers. The Department of Homeland Security was created after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Since then, it has been on the front lines in the fight against terrorism and securing the border. That's the part the Democrats hate. They want an open border. They want people to come in indiscriminately from all over the world. And Joe Biden and the Democrats allowed it, with over 10 million immigrants coming into this country in the four years of the Biden administration.

"The people who work for the Department of Homeland Security are the silent heroes of the nation. They are engaged in the battle to keep our communities safe and secure. They should not be forced to miss their paychecks because Democrats are choosing to play politics.

"Right now, 50,000 TSA agents all around the country are missing their paycheck. This is the third time in six months Democrats have forced TSA agents to work without getting paid. A veteran TSA officer in Phoenix, Arizona, was clear. He said, 'We are fed up. We've had enough.' And I believe he's right. All Americans are fed up and have had enough of this political posturing and game-playing by the Democrats.

"A CBS News report this week explains what is happening. Absences by TSA agents have doubled since February 14, when this Democrat-caused shutdown began. More than 300 TSA agents have left the job entirely. Lines at the airport can now last for hours. In some airports, those lines stretched out of the terminal and into parking lots. With spring break travel picking up, families are paying the price. It is the price of Democrats' political obstruction.

"It is the same concerning story at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. This is the agency that protects our nation's critical infrastructure, including our energy infrastructure. Since the Democrat shutdown began last month, only one in three staffers at the agency are working. The rest of them are furloughed. Those who are still on the job are working without pay. America is continually under attack in the cyber world. That's energy, banking, financial institutions, water and utilities, and our military.

"After the strikes on Iran, the pace of cyberattacks against us has accelerated. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps made their intentions clear. They said, Americans 'will no longer have security anywhere in the world, even in their own homes.' Imagine the damage Iran could do if they hacked our critical infrastructure. Yet because of the Democrat shutdown, vulnerability scans are on pause. Protective guidance for critical networks is not being issued. Our energy grids, our hospitals, and our state and local governments are all more exposed.

"It's not a question of if the Democrat shutdown is hurting the American people. It is a matter of public record. Democrats are endangering Americans on the ground, in the skies, and even in cyberspace.

"The American people expect their government to take our nation's security seriously. Democrats don't seem to be thinking that way at all. The American people expect Congress to fund the agencies that keep them safe, not that keep safe illegal immigrant criminals. The American people expect us to pay the people who protect our airports, our borders, our networks, and our communities. They expect us to confront threats at home and abroad with urgency.

"The Department of Homeland Security must be funded fully and immediately. And I'm tired of excuses from the Democrats because that's all they are. Excuses."

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