While Senate Democrats continue to block the DHS funding bill from coming to the floor for debate, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson released a statement warning Congress that any bill that would "attempt to defund our executive actions on immigration reform" would result in consequences. Sec. Johnson specifically threatened to block new funding grants for state and local law enforcement and emergency response agencies.
One of the many consequences of operating on a continuing resolution is our inability to fund new non-disaster grants to state, local and tribal governments, law enforcement, emergency response officials and fire departments.
In Colorado, Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith said that his office received a letter addressed to "all police chiefs and sheriffs around the country" about the funding bill from Sec. Johnson that Sheriff Smith considered to be a "veiled threat".
After receiving the letter, Sheriff Smith posted the following to his Facebook page:
His letter made it clear that if Congress didn’t send President Obama the DHS funding bill that he wanted (rubberstamping the president’s executive amnesty), local and state public safety agencies would not receive federal grants they were counting on because the president would veto the DHS funding bill.
Let me get this straight – the president believes he has the authority to nullify federal laws that don’t serve his personal agenda, but if Congress dares to exercise its responsibility of controlling the purse strings, he will willingly hold public safety grants hostage just to get his way?
Mr. President, you don’t have to love the Congress we elected, but you do have to respect their role as established under the Constitution -and Mr. Johnson, please show some integrity and stop with the threats. Sheriffs don’t take kindly to them.
For more on this story, read The Daily Caller. You can also read Sec. Johnson's full statement here.
