Virginia Reps Urge Senators Warner and Kaine to Stop Blocking House-passed DHS Funding Bill

Monday, February 23, 2015 | Andie Pivarunas (202-225-3861)

Today Reps. Rob Wittman (VA-01), Scott Rigell (VA-02), J. Randy Forbes (VA-04), Robert Hurt (VA-05), Bob Goodlatte (VA-06), Dave Brat (VA-07), H. Morgan Griffith (VA-09), and Barbara Comstock (VA-10) joined together in sending a letter to Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine urging them to stop blocking debate on the House-passed Department of Homeland Security funding bill. Recently, these eight representatives were among 170 Members of the House of Representatives who sent a letter to Senator Harry Reid asking him to allow debate on this legislation. The Senate is scheduled to vote on whether to proceed with consideration of H.R. 240, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill, at 5:30 p.m. today.

Click here for a PDF copy of the signed letter. The full text of the letter is below:

Dear Senator Warner and Senator Kaine:

      On behalf of the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia, we urge you to reconsider your votes to protect President Obama’s unlawful executive action by blocking debate on H.R. 240, the House-passed bill which would fully fund the Department of Homeland Security.

     We agree with Senator Warner’s assertion last September: on “a big issue like immigration the best way to get a comprehensive solution is to take this through the legislative process.” We agree with the 22 occasions in which President Obama said to take such action unilaterally would be illegal, unconstitutional and imperial. We also agree with the 170 members of the House of Representatives who signed the attached letter urging Leader Reid to allow the Senate to take immediate action on the appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security and stop the unlawful actions by the President.

     As representatives of a state whose rich history is intrinsically entwined with our nation’s founding, we regard the President’s recent action as an affront on our power as legislators, and, by extension, the representation promised to our constituents by our founding fathers.

     To that end, we believe that to filibuster a funding bill to protect such action is wrong and profoundly undemocratic.

     This vote transcends policy. There are times when we must reach across the aisle in defense of something greater, when party lines dissolve, disagreements fade, and what is right must triumph. The true threat is that any future President will take this precedent and choose which laws they wish to enforce and ignore the will of Congress and the American people. We have reached a moment of constitutional crisis. We implore you not to give up the power with which our constituents have entrusted us. Exercise your authority, which the President’s recent action seeks to nullify. 

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