Floor Speech2026-03-27

PROVIDING FOR DISPOSITION OF SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 7147, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026

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Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 58 (Friday, March 27, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 58 (Friday, March 27, 2026)] [House] [Pages H2793-H2813] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] PROVIDING FOR DISPOSITION OF SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 7147, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026 Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1142 and ask for its immediate consideration. The Clerk read the resolution, as follows: H. Res. 1142 Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution, the House shall be considered to have taken from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 7147) making further consolidated appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto, and to have concurred in the Senate amendment with an amendment consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 119-21. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Minnesota is recognized for 1 hour. Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Minnesota? There was no objection. Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, we are here tonight to debate the rule providing for consideration of the Senate amendment for H.R. 7147, the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act of 2026. The rule provides that the House shall be considered to have taken from the Speaker's table H.R. 7147, with the Senate amendment thereto, and to [[Page H2794]] have concurred in the Senate amendment with an amendment consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 119-21. Simply put, a vote for this rule is a vote to fund the entire Department of Homeland Security through May 22, 2026. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because the American people are tired of half measures when it comes to their safety. Last night, the Senate passed a funding deal that can only be described as an attempt to put a dead bolt on the front door while leaving the backdoor wide-open. They want us to believe they are securing our homeland, yet their proposal dedicates exactly zero dollars toward our Border Patrol operations. In a world of evolving threats, my colleagues across the aisle believe that we can protect this Nation by halves, but the message from House Republicans is clear: We will not and cannot fund only half of our Homeland Security. Security is not a buffet where you get to pick and choose which threats you acknowledge. House Republicans are aligned with the President on this. We will not accept a funding bill that does not support our homeland defenders, our ICE agents, and our Border Patrol. If it is important to stop tragedies from happening at our airports and everyone can agree on that, then it is equally important to stop these events from happening at our borders and in our communities. This week, the country felt the weight of Sheridan Gorman's death, a tragedy that is compounded by the bitter reality that it was entirely preventable and the result of Democrat policies that allow violent criminals to walk our streets. This loss is a grim reminder that when policies prioritize a radical agenda and the protection of violent illegal aliens over the protection of American citizens, it is innocent families that pay the ultimate price. We need to protect our citizens, and House Republicans will not vote for an even slightly open border. We will not leave portions of our homeland vulnerable while pretending the job is done. We know what happens when the border is treated as an afterthought. Under the Biden administration, America faced a national security risk. More than 20 million illegal immigrants entered the United States, straining our communities to the breaking point. Customs and Border Patrol recorded more than 2 million illegal immigrants were able to cross into the Nation without any record of who they were. That is nearly double what they tracked during the prior decade. Between fiscal year 2021 and fiscal year 2024, more than 388 illegal aliens on the terrorist watch list attempted to cross the border and, most alarming, at least 99 illegal aliens on that same watch list were allowed into our country. We saw members from one of the most notorious gangs in the world, MS-13, infiltrate our cities, leading to takeovers like we saw in Aurora, Colorado. That is the result of Democrat hope-based border vulnerability strategies, but we do not operate on hope or whims. We operate on facts and action. Under the Trump administration, we have seen what happens when we prioritize enforcement. In the last 10 months, zero illegal aliens have been released into the United States. We have proven that when the law is followed and the border is secured, our communities are safer and Americans are protected. The transformation of Homeland Security is further proof that the U.S. Coast Guard seized nearly 510,000 pounds of cocaine in fiscal year 2025, a 200 percent increase compared to the annual average in previous years, and yet, despite this clear progress, Democrats are choosing to block DHS funding leading to this shutdown. They would rather see the entire Department shuttered than to see our borders secure. This is a simple, commonsense, 60-day, 8-week clean CR so we can properly pay our homeland defenders and continue the discussions. It secures the border by fully funding the paychecks and resources that we need. It protects our airports. It supports the President's decisive leadership in allocating TSA funds. It keeps FEMA ready to ensure our disaster response is not a casualty of the Democrat shutdown, and it guarantees the men and women on the front lines are paid for the critical work they do. Mr. Speaker, the Senate bill is a nonstarter because it treats national security as an optional expense. House Republicans will not fund a half-baked idea that leaves our borders open and our communities at risk. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and the other side of the rotunda to stop holding our security hostage. Join me in supporting this commonsense, 8-week CR and funding critical needs. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. {time} 2140 Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Minnesota for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to say to the American people: If you woke up this morning not knowing who to blame for this shutdown, you will go to bed tonight with no doubt. It is House Republicans and Speaker Johnson. I mean, what the hell are you guys doing? This is nuts. This is not complicated, Mr. Speaker. There is a bill right now, passed unanimously by the Republican-controlled Senate, to end this shutdown. It is a bill to fund FEMA, TSA, the Coast Guard, and other lawful agencies in DHS. That bill was unanimously passed and was orchestrated by Republicans who control the United States Congress. You control the House, you control the Senate, and you control the White House. You control everything. Republican Leader John Thune was the one who wrote it, scheduled it, offered it. The Republican was presiding over the Senate floor when the bill came up. Not a single Senator, including not a single Republican Senator, objected to moving this bill forward--not a single one. That bill was sent to us today. What did Speaker Mike Johnson do? He said no. He said let's keep those airport lines long. He said let's not pay TSA or FEMA or the Coast Guard or CISA. Why? Because he would rather bow down to a handful of batshit crazy, rightwing lunatics who don't care about who they hurt. They are demanding even more money for ICE, an agency that already has a $75 billion slush fund--$75 billion. My God, that is more money than almost every nation on Earth spends on their entire military budget per year. In what world does ICE need more money? Why would we give more money to an agency that a Federal judge says has violated more judicial orders this year than ``some Federal agencies have violated in their entire existence''? We have seen ICE and CBP agents break into homes without warrants. I thought you guys cared about civil liberties. We have seen them arresting and detaining American citizens and publicly executing people on the street. None of you are moved by that? Why the hell would we give them more money without real reforms? All we are saying is that we should fund agencies that actually protect the public and keep this country running. The Senate passed a bill that does just that. It is ready for House floor action. We could end this shutdown for good tonight if Speaker Johnson would just put it on the floor. There is no question that it would pass with massive, sweeping bipartisan support. I have talked to so many of you who told me you support what the Republican Senate did. Speaker Johnson refuses to do that. I swear, he is actually doing everything, and I mean everything, in his power to prevent reopening DHS tonight. Republican leadership has even gone so far as to change the very definition of ``time'' itself. They had to rig the rules to pretend today is tomorrow so they could jam this garbage CR through faster and then get out of town. This CR, Mr. Speaker, is a nonstarter. It is dead on arrival in the Senate. Even some House Republicans have already acknowledged that this plan, to quote them, is stupid. You know it is dead on arrival in the Senate. Speaker Johnson needs to grow a freaking spine, and we need some

Referenced legislation: HRES1142, HRES1142, HR7147

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