Representative Aaron Bean (R-FL) is urging President Donald Trump to ensure that the United States Coast Guard (USCG), which is under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), continues to receive their salaries as the Department shut down ensues.
Earlier in February, talks between the White House and Democratic members of Congress reached a stalemate on funding DHS, as Democrats demanded reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis during anti-ICE protests.
Because an agreement has not been reached, essential employees are continuing to work without pay, and Rep. Bean is urging President Trump to find a way to ensure they are still paid.
"The Coast Guard is an essential branch of our armed services, and its members should never be used as leverage in partisan disputes," Rep. Bean wrote in a letter to the president. "It is deeply concerning that Coast Guard personnel are being placed in this position due to political brinkmanship by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and other Democratic leaders who are choosing to play politics with our homeland security."
In a statement, the Florida congressman further emphasized that "our Coast Guard never stops defending our homeland, and political gridlock should never put them at risk."
October saw the longest total government shutdown in American history as a result of Democrats and Republicans being unable to negotiate on the extension of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) tax credits.
During this time, Bean introduced the Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act, which ensures the continued payment of USCIS Immigration Officers, ICE Deportation Officers, TSA Federal Air Marshals, Border Patrol agents, Secret Service agents, and the personnel in charge of distributing those wages, drawn from unappropriated Treasury funds.
