WASHINGTON, December 2 (Sputnik) — The suggestion by US Republican Party members to temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) due to opposition over immigration reform would damage homeland security, Jeh Johnson, the secretary of the department, told Congress Tuesday.
"We have some homeland security priorities that need to be funded now," Johnson told a Congressional hearing, noting it is "bad idea" for Congress to consider short-term funding to cover the department through March.
Johnson said temporary funding of the department would limit its ability to "engage in new starts" as well as fund enhanced detention centers, hire new secret service agents and bolster border security.
US Congress faces a December 11 deadline to pass a federal budget or face a government shutdown. Republicans have said they would pass the annual budget by the deadline, but Republicans in the House are considering a measure to temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security until the issue can be taken up by a Republican, controlled House and Senate in January. Such a move would challenge the ability of Obama administration to implement an executive order on immigration, announced two weeks ago.
One part of the executive action on immigration will allow up to five million illegal immigrants in the United States to register and avoid deportation. The measure would also allow illegal immigrants who have been in the United States more than five years and parents of children who are US citizens or legal residents to apply to stay in the United States temporarily. If the bill is passed, applicants will have to pass a background check and pay taxes.
Republicans have expressed outrage over Obama acting unilaterally on immigration reform. They proposed withholding funds for Obama's executive action, or only authorizing short-term funding to the agencies responsible for carrying out Obama's policy.
