Obama Budget decimates DHS enforcements and operations

The President’s past-due FY2014 Budget request for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) guts frontline border security, defies statutory requirements to protect Americans from criminal aliens,  and uses budgetary gimmicks to claim false savings, according to House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Carter (R-TX31).

Carter says the Obama budget, more than nine weeks past due, would undermine operations and enforcement on the front lines, and is dead-on-arrival in the Homeland Security Subcommittee, which oversees the annual DHS budget.  

"I regret the President’s fiscal year 2014 budget continues the Administration policy of ignoring the law, and relying on gimmicks and unauthorized proposals to claim savings,” says Carter.   “At a time when our budget is hemorrhaging red ink and our Nation remains threatened from terrorists, illegal border crossings, and natural hazards, we need DHS to present a legitimate budget request that prioritizes protecting this country and complying with the law.  Instead, the FY14 request defies numerous statutory requirements including incarceration of criminal aliens, fails to adequately support critical frontline missions, and repeats numerous proposals that Congress has soundly rejected.”

The former Texas judge says if DHS can’t clearly explain how it is proposing to spend the taxpayers’ limited dollars on its programs and projects, and refuses to answer Congress’ basic oversight questions, then the Subcommittee will have no choice other than to hold the Department’s leadership accountable and deny unjustified requests for funding.