The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security was published in the in the Senate section section on pages S4858-S4859 on Sept. 20.
The Department was built out of more than 20 agencies in 2002. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lower taxes and boosting federal efficiency, argued the Department is burdened with "unneeded bureaucracy" which could be handled by other departments or standalone operations.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
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SENATE RESOLUTION 775--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT VIOLENCE AND THREATS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST THE EMPLOYEES OF THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF
INVESTIGATION ARE UNACCEPTABLE AND SHOULD BE CONDEMNED
Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Coons, and Mr. Blumenthal) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 775
Whereas, pursuant to a judicially issued warrant, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (referred to in this preamble as ``FBI'') searched the residence of former President Donald Trump (referred to in this preamble as ``the former President'') on August 8, 2022, for classified and national defense information records owned by the United States
(referred to in this preamble as ``the search'');
Whereas, in the days following the search, employees of the FBI and their families have been subjected to threats of violence;
Whereas the threats to employees of the FBI and their families have been inflamed by--
(1) calls from members of Congress to ``destroy the FBI'' or ``defund the FBI'';
(2) members of Congress comparing the execution of a lawful warrant by the FBI to the actions of the Nazi Gestapo; and
(3) repeated attacks from the former President, who has called FBI officials, among other insults, ``vicious monsters'';
Whereas the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security issued an intelligence bulletin warning of a further increase in violent threats and acts of violence against Federal law enforcement officials and facilities following the search;
Whereas these threats include placing a ``dirty bomb'' outside of FBI headquarters and calls for ``civil war'' and
``armed rebellion'';
Whereas the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have also ``observed the personal identifying information of possible targets of violence, such as home addresses and identification of family members, disseminated online as additional targets'';
Whereas a man wearing body armor and armed with an AR-15 rifle and nail gun attempted to breach the FBI Cincinnati Field Office on August 11, 2022;
Whereas a man was indicted on August 16, 2022, for threatening to murder everyone at the FBI, from the Director, to agents, to the custodial staff;
Whereas a man jumped a fence and threw rocks at the FBI Chicago Field Office on August 25, 2022;
Whereas the continued leveling of threats and baseless attacks against the FBI will increase the risk of injury or death that employees of the FBI face; and
Whereas the employees of the FBI put their lives on the line every day to protect the communities of the United States and uphold the rule of law: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) condemns attacks and threats of violence against the employees of the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
(2) condemns calls from members of Congress to ``destroy the FBI'' and ``defund the FBI'';
(3) urges public officials at every level of government to reject and condemn political violence and the threat of political violence, regardless of its motivation;
(4) honors the dedicated service of the employees of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, including their work executing lawful warrants; and
(5) affirms that a founding principle of the United States is that individuals settle differences through the political process, not through the use or threat of violence.
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