Bernie Sanders Tears Into House Republicans For Passing One Week DHS Funding Bill

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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has some pointed words for House Republicans. Sanders told them that it was time to stop playing political games. and found it incomprehensible that the House is refusing to properly fund Homeland Security.

In a statement, Sen. Sanders (I-VT) said:

At a time when ISIS is a growing terrorist threat to the United States and countries around the world, it is incomprehensible that the Republican House of Representatives refuses to follow what the Senate did and fund the Department of Homeland Security for the entire fiscal year. Enough is enough.

On behalf of the more than 2,500 Homeland Security workers in Vermont and their co-workers around the country, I hope the House will stop playing political games and fully fund this important department.

The one week funding bill is an embarrassment that Republicans should be ashamed of. Friday’s fiasco in the House provided clear evidence that Republicans can’t govern. When left on their own, House Republicans can only agree on extremist legislation that will never become law.

It is way past time for the House majority to stop playing partisan politics. The insistence on the language the overturns President Obama’s executive orders on immigration is a direct pander to their Republican base. House Republicans have placed partisan politics ahead of national security, and it is not an exaggeration to suggest, as Sen. Sanders did, that House Republicans are sending a clear message to those who want to attack the United States.

By messing with Homeland Security funding, Republicans are embarrassing their country at home and abroad. They are also playing a dangerous game that could invite another attack on the United States. Sen. Sanders is as liberal as they get in the United States Senate, and he understands the importance of Homeland Security.

What Sen. Sanders statement highlights is the fact that Homeland Security isn’t a liberal or a conservative issue. It isn’t a political football, or a hostage that can be ransomed in order to achieve partisan objectives.

The funding of Homeland Security is a basic measurement of the House Republicans’ ability to govern. It’s a test that the Republicans are spectacularly failing.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association