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Long Island’s Democratic leadership today joined other New York elected officials in calling for House Republicans to pass a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security.

The department’s funding is set to expire at midnight on Saturday, resulting in approximately 30,000 employee furloughs and a halt in crucial research and development on counterterrorism measures.

The thousands of essential employees tasked with protecting American lives will be forced to remain on the job without pay, the New York politicians said, and would put the country at risk, they said.

Joining Steve Israel (D-Huntington) and Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) were Joe Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn).

In a statement, Israel said: “Thousands of New Yorkers tasked with keeping us safe will have to go to work and not collect a pay check when funding runs out because of a dangerous and derisive political strategy. I refuse to stand idly by as my constituents are used as pawns in a reckless political game; instead, Republicans should join Democrats in immediately passing a clean funding bill to show our enemies that we are united in keeping Americans safe.”

In addition more than 50,000 essential TSA aviation security screeners will report to work without pay, including 1,037 based at LaGuardia and 2,022 based at JFK Airport, the legislators said.

Struggling to escape a trap of their own making, Republicans offered on Tuesday to permit a Senate vote on Homeland Security funding without the immigration provisions strongly opposed by President Barack Obama and fellow Democrats.

McConnell said he did not know how the Republican-controlled House would respond if a stand-alone spending bill passed and the next step was up to the House. Underscoring the realities of divided government, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada said he wouldn't agree to the proposal unless it had the backing of Speaker John Boehner.

At the same time, the proposal would eliminate an attempt by the House to repeal an earlier presidential order that allows tens of thousands of immigrants to remain in the country if they were brought here illegally as youngsters by their parents.

“Defunding the agency that maintains our national security is not responsible governance," Rice said in a statement. "The responsible thing to do is to fully fund DHS by passing a new bill with no political add-ons. There are plenty of people on the other side of the aisle who agree - enough that we could pass a bill today and give DHS the funding and certainty they need to do their jobs.”

(FiOS1 News)