Robust Homeland Security Must Be Funded, Not Shut Down

Originally published by the Federalist

This piece was co-authored by Tom Plofchan

Playing partisan games with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding is a profound disservice to all Americans and could potentially embolden our adversaries. Despite tired attempts to portray DHS as a mere immigration enforcement department, the department’s core mission is to protect Americans from terrorism, cyberattacks, and other threats to public safety and national security. Its importance to our national security cannot be understated.

The American people deserve a DHS strengthened by recent resource increases, and as agile, focused, and effective as possible in carrying out this mission. Now is the time to improve and expand the department’s capabilities, not play politics with its ongoing operations.

For decades, homeland security has been closely associated with our sovereign border — particularly our southern border with Mexico. America has built numerous systems, authorities, and law enforcement agencies designed to prevent adversaries from entering the homeland, with limited success. Narcotics, weapons, and human trafficking have plagued us for years. The foreign terrorism threat, the original reason behind the creation of the DHS, persists from a variety of actors, including increasingly desperate Iranian proxies watching as the Ayatollah clings to power in the wake of crippling military and social upheaval.

To read the full article, click here.