Gosar, Franks, Salmon reject late night deal to fund DHS

Only Arizona representatives Paul Gosar, Trent Franks, and Matt Salmon held firm in their commitment to block President Obama’s unconstitutional executive order on amnesty, in a late night vote to fund DHS for one week.

Raul Grijalva, who did not vote earlier in the day, voted “no.” Rep. David Schweikert joined Martha McSally, who voted “yes,” earlier in the day.

HR33, Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act, was passed on a vote of 357 – 60.

Franks, Gosar, and Salmon all issued statements after joining a majority of members in the House of Representatives in voting against a 3 week, short-term funding bill on Friday afternoon.

Franks:

I believe betraying his oath to preserve and protect the Constitution is one of the most damaging things Barack Obama has done to America. I have the privilege of Chairing the Subcommittee on the Constitution and I believe one of the greatest responsibilities I have as a member of Congress is to honor my oath to support and defend the Constitution.

I voted NO on the short term DHS continuing resolution because I believe its passage, in its present form, will ultimately decrease our chances of defunding the President’s unconstitutional actions, which if left unchecked, will do profound damage to this republic and the future of our children.

Gosar:

“The House already did our job more than 6 weeks ago and fully funded the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats waited till the last minute and played parliamentary tricks and refused to even debate the House passed bill.

“At its core, this debate is about President Obama’s unconstitutional executive amnesty and I refuse to violate the oath of office that I took as a Representative of the people to uphold our Constitution. If the president chooses to shut down DHS because he cares more about giving amnesty to illegal immigrants than the security of the people he was sworn to protect, then he will have to deal with those repercussions.

“Republicans must stand for something or we will fall for everything. If we do not stop this dangerous precedent of a lawless executive branch, we risk diminishing the institution of Congress and the indispensable separation of powers granted to us by our founders.”

Salmon:

“Since the beginning of this debate, I have said that I would never vote to fund something I believed to be unconstitutional, even for one day. Today, I kept that promise by voting against a bill that funded the President’s illegal executive actions on amnesty. Sadly, passing bills that do nothing but kick the can down the road is something that has become commonplace in Washington.

“I pledge to continue this fight in one week, so we can responsibly fund the Department of Homeland Security without funding the President’s unconstitutional actions.”

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, who voted twice voted in favor of temporary funding issued a statement:

“Congress must stop playing irresponsible political games with Arizona’s and America’s security,” said Sinema. “I voted for this bill because homeland security and law enforcement professionals in Arizona need these resources to keep our communities safe.”

“Shutting down our government because of partisan gridlock is reckless and hurts America. I’ve always said I will work with anyone who is serious about getting things done.”

“A one week fix isn’t enough. It’s time for Congress to come together and find a long-term solution that puts our country’s security first.

McSally, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, Gallego, and Scweikert did not issue statements after the votes.

 

Ayes Noes PRES NV
Republican 183 55 6
Democratic 174 5 9
Independent
TOTALS 357 60   15

 

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