Thompson Honors Homeland Security Employees
Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, issued the following statement in support of H.Res.134, a resolution honoring and recognizing the employees of the Department of Homeland Security:
“If you watch the news, you hear all the acronyms for the different parts of the Department - DHS, CBP, FEMA, ICE, FPS, TSA, and the list goes on. I fear that this alphabet soup may hide the faces of the people who make up the many pieces of the Department. But the vital mission of these different components cannot be fulfilled without the people who make them up.
It is not the ‘Department’ that gives up family time to help secure our nation. It is not the ‘Department’ that works nights, weekends, and holidays. It is not the ‘Department’ that puts its life on the line. It is the people of the Department who make these sacrifices.
I have been critical of the Department’s management and some of its decisions in the past, and I’m sure I will be in the future. But no one should mistake my occasional criticism of the way this Department has been run with criticism for the fine men and women who are on the front lines, day after day.
I pledge to the employees of the Department that the Committee on Homeland Security will not ignore this problem. We will do our part to see that things improve. We will work with the management of the Department when we can - but we will also give them a gentle push in the right direction when we need to.”
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Please contact Dena Graziano or Todd Levett at (202) 225-9978
