Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown:
“The Democrats’ decision to shut down the Department of Homeland Security has caused chaos at our airports, delayed assistance to communities affected by disasters, and forced thousands of frontline employees to work without any guarantee of when they will be paid. The United States is less safe because the Democrats chose to walk away from the bipartisan DHS funding bill and have blocked repeated Republican efforts to pass a short-term funding patch to prevent disruptions while negotiations continue.
“The White House made a good-faith offer last month that builds on the reforms included in the bipartisan funding bill negotiated earlier this year, with new safeguards to protect both the American public and law enforcement and increased oversight. Democrats waited 18 days to respond. In that time, we saw violent attacks at Old Dominion University and the Temple Israel Synagogue in Michigan and a massive cyber attack on the Stryker Corporation. It is time for Democrats to get serious and work with us in earnest to govern responsibly.”