(CNS News) – Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson sent a letter to leaders of Congress last week informing them that 170,000 of 200,000 of his department’s employees would continue working even if Congress refuses to allow the department to use money from the U.S. Treasury to implement President Obama’s plan to allow illegal aliens to stay in the United States and get work permits and Social Security Numbers.
Johnson told the congressional leaders that 170,000 of the department’s 200,000 employees—or 85 percent—would continue working.
Johnson letter to Congress spelling this out was inserted into the Congressional Record on Friday by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D.-N.Y.), the ranking member of the Rules Committee. Johnson’s letter was addressed to House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid.
“First,” said Johnson in his letter, “about 170,000 employees will be required to work, but will not get paid for that work during the period of a shutdown. This includes our Coast Guard, Border Patrol agents, Secret Service agents, Transportation Security Administration officers, and others on the front lines of our homeland security.”
By contrast only 15 percent of DHS employees would not work, including many office workers.
“Second, approximately 30,000 men and women of the Department must be furloughed and sent home without pay,” said Johnson.
“Our financial management, human resources, procurement and contracting, and information technology teams—the institutional backbone of the Department—will be reduced by 90 percent, from over 2,000 to just 208 people,” Johnson said.
Johnson also lamented that his personal staff would be reduced.
“My own immediate headquarters staff will be cut by about 87 percent,” he told the congressional leaders.
During the span of time in which conservatives in Congress refuse to fund the president’s unilateral action on immigration and Democrats refuse to fund the rest of DHS if the conservatives do not relent, Johnson said that certain research and grant programs will be reduced in staffing.
“Our Science and Technology team, which is intensely focused on developing non-metallic explosive detection capabilities as well as other technologies to counter threats to aviation, will be cut 94 percent, from 448 to 26 people,” Johnson said.
“Our Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, which is our Nation’s primary research and development lead for development of advanced nuclear detection technologies and technical forensic capabilities, will also be cut 94 percent, from 121 to just 7 people,” he said.
“Third, contracting services across the Department, including those for critical mission support activities, will be disrupted and or interrupted altogether,” he said.
On Friday night, the Congress passed a bill to fully fund DHS for another week. That means that all 200,000 DHS employees can go to work for the next week, instead of 170,000. All of Secretary Johnson’s staff will be able to work next week.
The one week funding bill does not place any prohibitions on the implementation of President Obama’s unilateral immigration action, which is currently halted by an injunction issued by a federal court. The administration has filed a plea calling for that injunction to be lifted.
The bill to completely fund DHS for one week passed the Senate on a voice vote and passed the House by a vote of 357 to 60. In the House, 55 conservative Republicans voted against the bill.
Even though DHS Secretary Johnson’s letter indicated that 170,000 out of 200,000 DHS employees would continue working without the bill—and that these workers included the Border Patrol, the Coast Guard, the Secret Service and the TSA—a number of congressional Republicans said that DHS would “shut down” if the full funding measure was not passed.
When the one-week funding bill came up on the floor, for example, House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers indicated that not passing the bill meant a “shutdown” of the “critical functions” of DHS.
“I rise today to urge the House to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to prevent a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security,” said Rogers.
“In a matter of hours,” he said, “the current mechanism funding DHS will expire. To allow a shutdown of these critical functions would be an abdication of one of our primary duties as Members of the House. It is no way to govern the Nation, and the American people deserve better.”
In his opinion explaining why he was imposing an injunction on Obama’s unilateral action to let illegal aliens stay and work in the United States—and get Social Security Numbers—Judge Andrew Hanen conceded that the executive has broad discretionary authority not to enforce the law against someone.
However, the judge argued that the executive does not have the power to grant benefits and Social Security numbers to a foreign national illegal present in the United States who is not entitled to such benefits under the existing laws of the nation.
http://www.cnsnews.com/blog/terence-p-jeffrey/jeh-johnson-congress-border-patrol-coast-guard-secret-service-tsa-will-all
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