Washington, DC - Statement by Secretary Jeh C. Johnson on the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016:

I congratulate Congress on passing the Consolidated Appropriations Act. It is a strong bill for homeland security. I am very pleased with the funding levels provided, and the number of other things the bill does to help us protect the Homeland. On behalf of the men and women of this Department, I thank Senators Hoeven and Shaheen, and Representatives Carter and Roybal-Allard for their strong support of our homeland security priorities.

With the passage of the omnibus spending bill, I also thank Congress for including much-needed cybersecurity legislation, in the form of the Cybersecurity Act of 2015. I thank Senators Burr, Feinstein, Johnson and Carper, and Representatives McCaul, Thompson, Nunes, and Schiff for their leadership on this important piece of legislation. Cybersecurity is a top priority for DHS and the Obama Administration, and this bi-partisan effort is a significant step forward in strengthening our nation’s cybersecurity. I look forward to working with Congress on further strengthening DHS’s cybersecurity mission.

I also am pleased that Congress has provided funding in the omnibus for the Office for Community Partnerships, which I established earlier this year to take our countering violent extremism efforts to the next level.

Finally, I thank Congress for including in the omnibus measures to further strengthen the security of the Visa Waiver Program. Over the past year, the Administration has taken a series of steps to enhance security measures in the Visa Waiver Program. Congress has added to the security of the program with provisions that have the force of law.