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Pelosi Remarks at Press Availability after Democratic Caucus Meeting

February 25, 2015

Contact: Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi spoke at a press availability following a meeting of the Democratic Caucus this morning. Below is a transcript of the Leader's remarks:

"Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In the interest of getting to our appropriators, where all of this is happening, I will be brief. When we first established the Department of Homeland Security following 9/11, I was part of the group that set up the committee that would set up the Department. And it was curious to me how the name was chosen, of all the names we could have named the Department of Homeland Security.

"But Homeland Security emerged as the name because it described what the Department does very clearly. It's about the homeland. It's about your home. It's about the ability of this Department to help keep your neighborhoods safer and our country safer. In fact, the ‘safer' provisions of the bill are immediately applied to safer neighborhoods. So, whether it's police, and fire, or first responders of any kind, the assessments that Mr. Crowley will talk about to protect the American people from any other threat – it's about you, your home, your neighborhood, our country. And that is what the Republicans are being very frivolous about – our oath to protect and defend the homeland – the ‘home land.'

"So I would hope – I believe that the judge's decision in Texas was a bad one. But it is one that gives them a face-saving way to just get this job done, pass the funding until the end of September, the end of the Fiscal Year, and let us keep the American people safe. If they don't do that, it is clear their real motivation was just to shut down government, and the immigration issue was an excuse, not a reason.

"So I hope that, as the Republicans emerge from their Caucus, they will do so more sober and somber about what their responsibilities are. I've reached out to the Speaker and said: We want to help in any way that we can to get this done, and remove all doubt about our commitment to honor our oath of office. With that, I yield to the distinguished Whip, Mr. Hoyer."

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