Washington, D.C. - This morning the U.S. House of Representatives passed their final bill of the year, which will boost homeland security and increase staffing levels at the border.  The funding was part of an emergency supplemental bill attached to the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill.  

The bill provides $400 million for U.S. Customs, $245 million of which will be used to beef up northern border and seaport security.  Specifically, U.S. Customs will be able to hire more than 1300 new staff and purchase new security equipment.

Additionally, the bill includes $549 million for Immigration and Naturalization Services to increase the number of inspectors and border patrol agents stationed along the U.S. border and upgrade information technology capabilities.

“This is vital to getting the good traffic moving across the border again,” said Larsen, who urged his colleagues to support the bill.  “These new resources will help us shoulder the heavy responsibility of strengthening both homeland and economic security.”

Larsen is an active member of the bipartisan Northern Border Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives and sits on the Committee on Armed Services.