HARTFORD — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after House Republicans were unable to pass a three-week funding bill, meaning DHS will shut down at midnight without further action. Earlier today, the U.S. Senate passed a clean, bipartisan bill to fully fund the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the remainder of the fiscal year before funding for the agency expires on Friday, February 27th.

“I’m returning to Connecticut deeply frustrated by this week and the Republicans’ seemingly endless dedication to manufacturing these shutdown crises. The Department of Homeland Security is America’s emergency response system, responsible for protecting this nation against terrorist attack. Threats against our nation continue to evolve, and so now, more than ever before, we can’t risk suspending support for the local and state security programs that are most responsible for keeping our nation safe. It’s time for House Republicans to stop playing games with the security of our country and pass the Senate’s bipartisan bill to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security for the rest of the year.”