End the 47-Day DHS Impasse and Restore Congressional Power of the Purse

I am writing to you today as a concerned constituent to urge you to take immediate action to end the 47-day funding impasse for the Department of Homeland Security. While I am aware that a recent executive memo was signed to ensure TSA employees receive paychecks this week, a unilateral emergency workaround is not a substitute for a stable, Congressionally-approved budget. As my representative, I expect you to uphold the Legislative Branch’s power of the purse rather than allowing the Executive Branch to fund departments through legally questionable memos. The frontline security workers at the airports in our state deserve better than to be used as leverage in a partisan standoff. I urge you to return to Washington and support a resolution that accomplishes the following: - Decouple Essential Funding: Support the Senate’s effort to fund the TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard immediately, without tying their paychecks to the more controversial debate over immigration enforcement tactics and ICE funding. - Reject Short-Term "Punts": The House’s proposal for a 60-day stopgap only ensures we will be back in this same crisis by May. Our state's travel industry and federal workforce need the stability of a full-year appropriation. - Restore Constitutional Order: By failing to pass a budget, Congress is abdicating its authority to the White House. We need a legislative solution that ensures our national security isn't dependent on whichever nexus funds an administration can find under the couch cushions. Forcing essential officers to work under the stress of financial uncertainty undermines our national security posture and the morale of the very people who keep us safe. I will be closely monitoring your leadership on this issue and hope to see you advocate for a clean funding bill that puts workers over political brinkmanship.