John Carter

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I accept this good amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I accept the gentleman's amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. CARTER. The bill before us today was born out of a need for reform. It consolidates disparate grant programs, provides discretion to the Secretary while balancing fiscal discipline. In total, this bill provides for $2.5 billion for Homeland Security First Responder Grants. This is $400 million above the President's request for fiscal year 2014 and $35 million above fiscal year 2013. This bill prioritizes our funding. The consolidation in this bill forces the Secretary to examine the intelligence and risk and put scarce dollars where they are needed most, whether it is port, rail, surveillance, or access and hardening projects, or whether it is to high-risk urban areas or to States, as opposed to reverse engineering projects to fill the amount designated for one of many programs. This does not mean lower-risk cities will lose all funding. It means the funds will come from other programs, such as State homeland grants that are risk-and formula-based. I strongly urge my colleagues to support fiscal discipline and vote ``no'' on this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I am happy to accept this amendment from my colleague and friend, Judge Poe, which provides $10 million for CBP to procure additional equipment for surveillance and detection at both the southern and northern borders. Some of the technological solutions CBP procures for border security include integrated fixed towers, tactical communication, and tethered aerostat radar systems. All these systems increase situational awareness and assist law enforcement personnel as they identify and resolve illegal activity. In effect, they become a workforce multiplier, freeing agents to focus on other vital tasks like identifying, tracking, interdicting, and resolving events along the border.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. CARTER. Robust enforcement of our immigration laws is critical to our national security. Clearly, the 287(g) program supports that goal. Under the 287(g) program, ICE enters into a partnership with State and local enforcement agencies and authorizes them to remove criminal aliens who are a threat to local communities. In effect, the program acts as a force multiplier and ensures more resources to enforce immigration laws and policy. In fact, since January of 2006, the 287(g) program is credited with identifying more than 279,311 potentially removable aliens, mostly at local jails. ICE's cross-designation of more than 1,500 State and local patrol officers, detectives, investigators, and correctional officers allows them to pursue a wide range of investigations, such as human smuggling, gang/organized crime activity, and money laundering. In addition, participating entities are eligible for increased resources and support in more remote geographic locations. Currently, ICE has 287(g) agreements with 75 law enforcement agencies in 24 States. Utilizing these funds as an offset takes resources from local sheriffs, police officers, and other first responders and puts it in the hands of a bureaucrat at DHS headquarters. And while I appreciate the gentleman's suggestion that the deficit is too high, I reject his choice of balancing the budget by jeopardizing public safety and law enforcement. To his point that the deficit must be reduced, let me point my colleagues to other provisions in the bill that instill fiscal discipline by cutting departmental administrative expenses and bureaucratic overhead by nearly 25 percent and by denying the President's request to create three new offices. For these reasons, I oppose the amendment, urge Members to join me in opposition, and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, at this time, I want to congratulate Mr. Reichert for his amendment. I think it is necessary, and I approve of it. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER. I move to strike the last word.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is unnecessary since the bill already includes ample funding for necessary oversight of ICE's 287(g) program. In fact, on page 11 of the bill's accompanying report, it states: Included within the amount recommended for the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties is a total of $2,394,000 for reviews of 287(g) agreements and ICE's Secure Communities. These funds are in addition to the ongoing work of ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility and the DHS Office of Inspector General, who reviews 287(g) agreements for compliance. So, while I certainly support robust oversight and also demand ICE's compliance with all applicable laws and standards therein pertaining to civil liberties and civil rights, I cannot support additional bureaucracy. Furthermore, the offset to this amendment will cut CBP's Automation Modernization account--a cut that will impede CBP's processing of trade and result in longer wait times at our ports of entry, which are detrimental impacts to our economy which none of us can afford to accept. Finally, I think I need to remind Members that the President's budget request decimated operational staffing and enforcement programs. This bill reversed that flawed approach and is holding DHS headquarters' resources in check. Therefore, I cannot support an amendment that increases headquarters staffing beyond what is necessary or what can be afforded, and does so at the expense of our economy. Mr. Chairman, I strongly urge my colleagues to support fiscal discipline, support economic growth, and vote ``no'' on this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. CARTER. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, at this time I would like to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from the State of Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta). He is the chairman of the committee that authorizes FEMA.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, at this time I'd like to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), who is the chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Subcommittee of the full committee.

Mr. CARTER. At this time I yield 2 minutes to a very distinguished member of our subcommittee from the great of State of Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann).

Mr. CARTER. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished member of our subcommittee, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent).

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, at this time I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt), a former chairman of this subcommittee and currently chairman of the Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Agriculture.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, at this time I yield 3 minutes to my colleague from the great State of Texas, (Mr. McCaul), the chairman of the full Committee on Homeland Security.

Mr. CARTER

Mr. CARTER. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CARTER. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the gentleman's amendment.