Callously Argues Just 13 Percent Of DHS Employees Were Furloughed During ‘13 Shutdown, Rest Were Required To Report To Work W/Out Pay
As the Republican Senate majority continues to move full speed ahead towards a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) despite the risks to national security and public safety, Ron Johnson is refusing to back down on his push to shut down the DHS. Just yesterday, Johnson urged his party to continue their political posturing:
“Johnson added that during the 2013 shutdown, just 13 percent of DHS employees were furloughed, while the rest were considered “essential” and required to report to work, though they temporarily did not receive pay.”
Seriously?
“Despite the clear risks to national security and public safety, Ron Johnson continues to show little concern about the consequences of the political games he’s playing,” said DSCC Communications Director Justin Barasky. “Ron Johnson is putting the safety of Wisconsin families at risk and owes the Department of Homeland Security employees who help keep us safe an apology for so callously asserting that those who work to protect our country can do so without pay.”
Background:
Johnson Refused To Back Down In Fight Over DHS Funding Despite Federal Court Ruling, Urged Republicans To Continue Effort To Defund Executive Actions On Immigration. “A Texas judge’s rejection of President Barack Obama’s immigration actions has strengthened conservatives’ resolve to use the Department of Homeland Security funding bill to oppose his moves — potentially complicating efforts for a quick end to the partisan standoff just 10 days before the clock runs out. […] Instead, Republicans said, it’s the Senate Democrats who need to give in by allowing a vote on a House-passed DHS bill that would block the president’s efforts to protect millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation. ‘This court ruling certainly does provide us with an important, I think, a helpful argument to fund everything but what a federal district court has ruled as unlawful or unconstitutional,’ Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, a vulnerable Republican and chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said in a telephone interview Tuesday. ‘We all want to keep this nation safe and secure, so let’s do that. Let’s not fund what’s in dispute.’” [Politico, 2/17/15]
Johnson Noted Only 13 Percent Of DHS Employees Were Furloughed During 2013 Government Shutdown And The Rest Were Required To Work Without Pay. “Johnson added that during the 2013 shutdown, just 13 percent of DHS employees were furloughed, while the rest were considered ‘essential’ and required to report to work, though they temporarily did not receive pay. ‘I don’t want to see that happen, but we do need to correct the rhetoric from the standpoint of a shutdown. The Department of Homeland Security is not going to shut down,’ Johnson said.” [Politico, 2/17/15]
