The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been shut down for 40 days, marking the longest partial government shutdown in history and approaching last fall's record-breaking 43-day total government shutdown, according to a March 25 statement.
The ongoing shutdown affects more than 100,000 DHS employees who have been without pay for over a month. The House Committee on Appropriations is responsible for drafting the annual spending bills that allocate federal funds for government operations, including DHS, according to the official website. The committee also provides guidance on community project funding requests included in appropriations bills.
A timeline released by House Republicans outlines multiple attempts since June of the previous year to pass full-year DHS funding through bipartisan efforts. The House has passed the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act several times with bipartisan majorities. However, Senate Democrats have blocked cloture votes on this legislation five times since February. "Democrats continue to block funding for DHS over radical demands to impede our border security and immigration removal operations," the statement said.
Recent events cited in the release include an incident involving an undocumented immigrant accused of killing an 18-year-old student in Chicago after being released into the country under current policies. The release argues that such incidents are not isolated and accuses Senate Democrats of protecting violent illegal aliens at the expense of national security.
Tom Cole currently serves as chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations and is noted as its forty-third chairperson according to information from its official website. The committee influences policy through its role in passing funding legislation like the Continuing Appropriations Act.
The press release concludes by urging Senate Democrats to fund DHS fully: "These patriots deserve better from Congress; the American people deserve better from Congress." Another vote on full-year DHS funding is expected this week.
