Ernst: ‘Nation will be protected’ even if Congress can’t reach DHS funding deal

DES MOINES - Life will go on and 'the nation will be protected, we'll make sure of that” even if funding for the Department of Homeland Security is not approved before the end of the month, Sen. Joni Ernst insisted Tuesday during a stop in Des Moines.

Funding for the department that provides border security, airport screenings, federal air marshals, the Coast Guard and disaster relief would continue if Congress and the president can't agree on a funding measure.

The House has approved funding, but stripped out funding for President Barack Obama' executive orders negating the threat of deportation for an estimated 5 million illegal immigrants. However, Senate Democrats have blocked action on the House bill. They are calling for funding to maintain the presidents immigration orders.

Obama has threatened to veto the House measure should it land on his desk.

Ernst expects that when senators return to Washington there will be discussions with minority Democrats on how to move forward to meet the Feb. 27 funding deadline.

'We do not want to see funding cease at the end of February,” she said. 'But the Democrats are filibustering right now so we can't even debate the bill.”

Even if the parties and the president can't reach an agreement, the threat of a shutdown is overstated, Ernst said, because 85 percent, or about 200,000, of the department's employees are considered 'essential,” which means they will continue to report for work regardless of the funding bill.

'It's not really a shutdown,” she said. 'There is mandatory spending that will continue and essential employees will continue going to work.”

Some DHS functions - hiring, administrative support and much of the agency's management of domestic anti-terror efforts would be affected and E-Verify - would be affected.

Ernst, who took office six weeks ago, stopped by a reception for the Iowa Credit Union League before heading to an Iowa State University women's basketball game as part of her 99-county tour of the state. In about a dozen stops Ernst has been impressed by the optimism she's hearing, especially from Iowans in the manufacturing sector.

'The outlook in Iowa is very, very positive,” Ernst said. People are asking for more emphasis on STEM - science, technology, engineering and math - 'that will help manufacturers produce goods here in Iowa. That's what we want.”

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