White House summit on violent extremism turns to debate on Homeland Security
Posted: Feb 18, 2015 6:31 PM EST
A discussion on violent extremism was held Wednesday at the White House.
President Obama was hoping to focus on the need to fight and the reasons people are drawn to join violent extremist movements.
The discussion quickly turned into a debate on funding for Homeland Security because current funding for Homeland Security runs out in just over a week.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson says it is critical for President Obama and Congress to continue funding his department.
“This is an important topic at an important time, as I've said many times, we've evolved to a new phase in the global terrorist threat. We, therefore, must evolve to a new phase in our counterterrorism efforts.
Johnson says Homeland Security needs new funding so it can evolve to launch initiatives to deal with new threats.
On Monday, House and Senate lawmakers return from recess to continue the funding debate.
President Obama was hoping to focus on the need to fight and the reasons people are drawn to join violent extremist movements.
The discussion quickly turned into a debate on funding for Homeland Security because current funding for Homeland Security runs out in just over a week.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson says it is critical for President Obama and Congress to continue funding his department.
“This is an important topic at an important time, as I've said many times, we've evolved to a new phase in the global terrorist threat. We, therefore, must evolve to a new phase in our counterterrorism efforts.
Johnson says Homeland Security needs new funding so it can evolve to launch initiatives to deal with new threats.
On Monday, House and Senate lawmakers return from recess to continue the funding debate.
