DeLauro: “Republicans are cutting funding that helps working families afford basic necessities, while giving $70 billion to ICE and the Border Patrol to harass our communities.”
WASHINGTON – Today, the House passed a reconciliation bill to provide Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol with just under $70 billion with no strings attached, over 4 times their combined annual budgets. With the passage of this bill, Republicans have voted to provide DHS more than $260 billion in the first two years of the Trump administration.
“All Americans are asking for is help dealing with rising prices. Across the country, families cannot afford groceries, gas, or a trip to the doctor. Instead of addressing this cost-of-living crisis, Republicans are giving ICE and Border Patrol $70 billion,” said House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03). “I am leading the way to implement major reforms that will transform these agencies which currently operate like an unaccountable paramilitary force. I will fight for accountability and justice when it comes to ICE and – without major reforms – I will not vote in favor of another dime to be spent on ICE or Border Patrol. I am ready to work in a bipartisan manner to address the challenges at our border and reform our immigration system. I will always support policies that promote our national security and allow our country to remain a refuge for those fleeing persecution.”
During consideration of this bill in the Senate, Republicans failed to address President Trump’s $1.8 billion fund for his friends and violent criminals.
“In addition to handing ICE and Border Patrol $70 billion, Republicans are allowing President Trump to keep his $1.8 billion slush fund to reward his friends and supporters,” DeLauro continued. “I cannot help but notice the contrast in how this administration treats people based on their perceived political affiliations. If you assault police officers and storm the Capitol because you believed the president’s lie that the election was stolen from him, you will be pardoned, and you could even get a taxpayer-funded payout. But if you exercise your First Amendment right to peacefully protest how ICE or the Border Patrol are conducting themselves, you can be beaten, harassed, detained, or even killed, and the Trump administration will block investigations into the misconduct, while Republicans in Congress insist on providing billions more in funding for the agencies that abused you in the first place.”
While House Republicans put their stamp of approval on President Trump’s lawless agencies, the Appropriations Committee is marking up the regular 2027 funding bill for the department of Homeland security.
“The same day they are subverting the regular process—Republicans are forcing us to markup up the 2027 Homeland Security bill that gives ICE and Border Patrol regular funding of nearly $17 billion. The partisan reconciliation process is a sham and is no substitute for the bipartisan process of funding our government. As we move forward with the 2027 Homeland Security bill, I call on Republicans to adopt the guardrails Democrats are demanding and protect our communities,” said DeLauro.
Ranking Member DeLauro’s statement following Senate passage of the bill can be found here. Information on the fiscal year 2027 Homeland Security bill can be found here.
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