Former chief of staff John Kelly joined his fellow ex-DHS secretaries in imploring President Donald Trump to allow the government to reopen, citing the suffering of DOD employees and the risk that they’ll leave vital posts to seek work in the private sector.
Though the letter is addressed to both Trump and members of Congress, it calls for restoring funding immediately, which the Democratic bill currently in the Senate would do if Trump would allow Republicans to vote for it.
“We are awed by the sacrifices that the men and women of DHS and their families make every day and their extraordinary service to our nation,” the letter reads. “We call on our elected leaders to restore the funding necessary to ensure our homeland remains safe and that the Department’s critical national security functions continue without compromise.”
Notably, the letter makes no mention of the necessity of a border wall.
Read the letter here via Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY):
This is President @realDonaldTrump’s former Chief of Staff.
Who left just recently.
Calling for the President to re-open the government.
Without the wall. pic.twitter.com/YSTQRqCYW0— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 24, 2019
