WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA-5) has voted to support H.R. 240, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2015, which provides funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and includes provisions rolling back the President’s executive orders on immigration that are set to take effect in mid-2015.
“I was proud to support passage of legislation that provides funding for the federal agencies tasked with protecting our homeland,” stated Thompson.
“H.R. 240 also delivers on commitments that I have made to the people I represent. The legislation improves border security, protects American jobs and holds the President accountable for his abuses of executive power.”
H.R. 240 provides for the largest operational force levels in the history of the Customs and Border Protection agency, and boost investments in critical security initiatives, including around-the-clock surveillance of air, land, and sea approaches to the border, which Thompson discussed from the House floor earlier this week.
The House, with Thompson’s support, also adopted a series of amendments to the legislation that oppose the President’s executive actions on immigration, including one offered by Thompson that passed 253-to-171.
- Marsha Blackburn (TN-7) Amendment: Blocks funding from being used to consider new, renewed, or previously rejected applications for the President’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This would effectively end DACA, which abuses the practice of prosecutorial discretion by halting the deportation of illegal immigrants if they claim to have arrived in the U.S. under the age of 16, have been present for five years, and are 30 years old or younger, among other criteria. The amendment was adopted by the House by a vote of 218-to-209.
- Ron DeSantis (FL-6) and Rep. Martha Roby (AL-2) Amendment:Requires that DHS treat any illegal immigrant convicted of any offense involving domestic violence, sexual abuse, child molestation, child abuse, or child exploitation as within the categories of DHS’s highest immigration enforcement. The amendment was adopted by the House by a vote of 278-to-149.
- Matt Salmon (AZ-5) and Thompson Amendment:Expresses the Sense of Congress that the Executive Branch should not pursue policies that discourage the hiring of U.S. citizens and those lawfully present in the United States by making it economically advantageous for employers to hire workers who are unlawfully present. The amendment was adopted by the House by a vote of 253-to-171.
- Aaron Schock (IL-18) Amendment:Expresses the Sense of Congress that the Obama Administration should stop putting the interests of immigrants who worked within the legal framework to come to the U.S. behind those who came here illegally. The amendment was adopted by the House by a vote of 260-to-167.
Thompson’s full remarks from the debate can be viewed by clicking here.