House Representative Rudy Yakym stated on Wednesday that Democrats are “out of touch” for refusing to advance funding for the Department of Homeland Security, a decision he says is leaving frontline security personnel without pay.
“They would rather protect criminal illegal aliens than protect our homeland,” the Indiana Republican said. “This is absolutely inexcusable.”
Yakym, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, said essential workers including TSA agents, Customs and Border Protection officers, Coast Guard personnel, and Secret Service agents should not be affected by the funding lapse.
“Our TSA agents should be paid,” Yakym stated. “They should not have to go without a paycheck for defending our homeland. The same is true for our Customs and Border Patrol. The same thing applies to our Coast Guard that’s out there defending our coast, and the Secret Service agents who are protecting the president and the vice president. They deserve to be paid and they have families.”
He added that “no one who is here protecting our homeland should worry about where the next paycheck is coming from,” and said Democrats are “consistently” putting “politics above people.”
Yakym noted that while federal security fees collected from airline passengers help fund TSA, congressional action is still required to authorize payments.
“In order to pay TSA, we have to have a vote on the House floor,” Yakym explained. “So our Democrats across the aisle just simply need to join us.”
He pointed to recent violent incidents across the country as evidence of the need for stronger homeland security funding.
“No one should have to wonder about their safety and security here in the homeland,” Yakym said. “But in order to do that, we’ve got to pay them. And Democrats have to join us to fund DHS.”
Turning to election policy, Yakym also voiced support for the SAVE America Act, which includes voter identification requirements.
“Having a voter ID when you show up to the polls is just common sense,” Yakym said. “Same thing with proving that you’re a citizen to register to vote in a federal election.”
He noted that similar identification requirements are already standard in everyday activities.
“In our society today, you have to prove who you are to do even simple things like go and get on an airplane or buy a beer,” Yakym added. “Why shouldn’t you have to do that when you vote?”
Yakym mentioned that Indiana already requires voter identification and expressed hope for nationwide adoption of the practice.
“Indiana is a common-sense state, and what I want to do is make sure that we spread that common sense around the country,” Yakym said.
