The Hill — The chances of a shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security are growing by the day, with congressional leaders at a stalemate over legislation that would provide funding after Feb. 27.
DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson has warned that a lapse in funding would cause a “terrible disruption,” while White House officials have accused congressional Republicans of putting national security at risk.
“A shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security in these times is frankly too bitter to contemplate, but we have to contemplate it,” Johnson told reporters this week. “It is horribly unfair to ask people in the critical role of Homeland Security to come to work and not get paid because Congress can’t fund the department.”
Republicans are using the funding measure as leverage to try to roll back the president’s executive actions on immigration, with some arguing that the administration is overstating the impact of a shutdown at DHS.
Most of the department’s employees will still be required to report to work in a shutdown, the Republicans note, minimizing the impact on crucial security functions.
With Senate Democrats blocking a DHS funding measure from the House, and conservatives pushing to hold the line, the path forward for lawmakers is unclear.
Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/231945-dhs-shutdown-growing-more-likely