Congressman John Moolenaar voted on Mar. 27 in favor of legislation that would fully fund the Department of Homeland Security, marking the fourth attempt by House Republicans to end the partial government shutdown affecting several key agencies.
The vote comes as many DHS employees continue working without pay due to the ongoing funding lapse since February 14. Agencies impacted include the Transportation Security Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
“DHS employees keep our country safe and deserve to get paid for their critical work. The measure passed by the Senate in the dead of night unfortunately leaves critical aspects of DHS national security operations unfunded. This is not a time for half-measures. DHS should be funded in its entirety,” said Moolenaar. “If Congress needs more time to negotiate reforms for specific agencies, DHS employees should not be caught in the middle. The House proposals to fully fund DHS are the only serious efforts to reopen the department, and it should be taken up by the Senate immediately.”
According to information about his career, Moolenaar has represented Michigan’s 2nd district in Congress since replacing Dave Camp in 2015. He previously served both in Michigan’s House of Representatives from 2003 to 2008 and Michigan Senate from 2011 to 2014 according to Ballotpedia.
Moolenaar was born in Midland, Michigan in 1961 and currently resides in Caledonia at age 61 according to Vote Smart. He graduated from Hope College with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1983 according to Hope College.
The legislation passed by the Senate at approximately 2:30 AM left about a quarter—26 percent—of DHS unfunded by excluding U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement from its provisions. In contrast, House-passed legislation would provide full funding for all national security operations under DHS until May 22 while allowing further negotiations on long-term appropriations.
