DeLauro Opens Discharge Petition to Fund TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard
**WATCH** Ranking Member DeLauro Joined Leader Hakeem Jeffries and House Democrats for a Press Event to End the Trump-Republican Shutdown, Pay Hardworking TSA Agents and Rein in ICE
WASHINGTON – Today, as the Republican shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reached its 32nd day, House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) opened a discharge petition to bring up her bill that would fund the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (FEMA), and the U.S. Coast Guard, along with every other part of DHS except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Office of the Secretary.
“This shutdown has persisted because Republicans insist on withholding funding for TSA until they get even more money for ICE. At a time when most are living paycheck to paycheck because of the affordability crisis, Republicans are holding up pay for hard working Americans because they do not want to agree to many of the protections against abuses we have seen committed by ICE and CBP that the vast majority of Americans are demanding,” said Ranking Member DeLauro. “Republicans have the power to end this impasse today. They choose not to. It is yet another failure of Republican leadership. With this discharge petition, House Democrats are taking matters into our own hands. I call on my Republican colleagues in the rank-and-file, who know that what their leadership is doing is wrong, to join us in this effort. To have the courage to sign this discharge petition and end this shutdown.”
A discharge petition is a procedural move to bring a measure up for a vote over the objections of the Speaker of the House. If a petition receives 218 signatures, the measure must be brought up for a vote. Democrats have successfully forced votes on several measures using the discharge petition process during the 119th Congress, most recently on a measure to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.
Ranking Member DeLauro’s bill provides full funding for many agencies including:
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), including the Disaster Relief Fund
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
- U.S. Coast Guard
- Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
- U.S. Secret Service
- Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC)
- Science & Technology Directorate (S&T)
- Office of Inspector General (OIG)
- Federal Protective Service
In order to keep our communities safe from ICE and CBP, Democrats are demanding protections including:
- No deportation or detention of U.S. Citizens
- Prohibit operations at sensitive locations like schools, houses of worship and polling places
- Require agents to get a warrant from a judge before kicking in someone’s door
- No masks, require clear identifying information on uniforms
- End racial profiling
- Establish use of force policy in law
- Allow independent investigations into misconduct
- Mandate use of body-worn cameras
Ranking Member DeLauro’s full remarks from this morning’s press conference led by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries can be found here.
A summary of Ranking Member DeLauro’s bill can be found here.
Full text of Ranking Member DeLauro’s bill (H.R. 7481) can be found here.
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