Johnson: A stopgap bill not enough for DHS
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson tried again Tuesday to pressure lawmakers into approving funding for his department, warning that there would be no money to pay for enhanced border-security efforts if Congress resorts to just a stopgap bill. Johnson said Homeland Security, the only federal department now running on a short-term funding measure, is âconstrainedâ by the limits of a stopgap bill to improve security on the southern border and to maintain the boost in resources to deal with the consequences of last summerâs border crisis. Story Continued Below âBorder security is not free,â Johnson said Tuesday. âThe men and women of DHS need a partner in Congress to fund their efforts. Time is running out.â For instance, Johnson said DHS canât make specific investments in border security, such as upgrading âobsoleteâ surveillance systems in the Rio Grande area. DHS also cannot invest in measures that would help it better analyze geospatial intelligence, which aids officials in identifying illegal border crossings. In recent days, Johnson has focused on different parts of his sprawling agency to highlight the fallout if DHS stayed on a short-term funding bill. Last week, he said his department would not be able to fund new non-disaster grants to state and local governments. He also warned on Sunday that letting funding lapse would mean that about 30,000 DHS workers â out of a total workforce of roughly 230,000 â would be furloughed. Yet, despite Johnsonâs efforts, Congress remains stalled on DHS funding, which runs dry after Feb. 27. Republicans, who want to block funding for President Barack Obamaâs executive actions on immigration through the must-pass spending bill, have stalled in their efforts in the Senate â where Democrats have repeatedly filibustered the funding measure.