Statement of Support for the Department of Homeland Security from Members of the Aspen Institute Homeland Security Group

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- We are members of a non-partisan group of former government officials and policy experts in the fields of national security and counterterrorism. At a time when the threats to the homeland are growing in number, complexity, and intensity, it is crucial that the Department of Homeland Security be fully funded. The message this impasse sends to our enemies is that we lack the iron resolve and singular focus that it will take to defeat them.

From countering terrorism, securing our borders, addressing cyber attacks, preparing for and responding to natural disasters, to protecting the President and other top national leaders, DHS contributes daily, in one way or the other, to the hard work of safeguarding our country and our way of life.

Without an agreement between the White House and Congress to break the current impasse, funding for the Department of Homeland Security will run out at the end of the week. It is not for us to weigh in on the policy debate between the parties as to whether funding should be "clean" or contingent upon their agreement on other important issues like immigration. As security experts, what we can say is that the nation can ill afford for the parties not to come to some resolution before week's end that results in full funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

Signatories from the Aspen Institute Homeland Security Group:

Keith Alexander
Charlie Allen
Stewart Baker
Richard Ben-Veniste
William Bratton
Michael Chertoff
PJ Crowley
Clark K. Ervin
Jane Harman
Michael Hayden
David Heyman
Brian Michael Jenkins
James Loy
John McLaughlin
Michael Morell
Philip Mudd
Matt Olsen
Eric Olson
Guy Swan
Starnes Walker
William Webster
Evan Wolff
Juan Zarate

The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

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SOURCE The Aspen Institute

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