Jayapal Statement on Laken Riley Act, Born Alive Abortion Survivors Act, and Fix Our Forests Act

SEATTLE, WA — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) issued the following statement regarding how she would have voted on three bills passed in the U.S. House of Representatives while she is in India mourning the passing of her father:

“Had I been present in Congress this week, I would have unequivocally voted NO on these bills.

“Laken Riley’s murder was horrific, but there is no gap in the law to close here. By tying her name to this legislation, Republicans want you to believe it will do something to hold murderers accountable. In reality, all this bill does is promote racial profiling and take away due process from those who have been falsely accused or arrested for minor crimes like theft. It uses this tragedy to pave the way for President Trump’s mass deportation agenda, unfairly sweeping in many more lives in likely unconstitutional ways. People who commit heinous crimes should be detained and held accountable, but this bill goes too far and makes a mockery of our criminal justice system.

“The so-called Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act would do nothing other than create a situation where doctors cannot properly care for high-risk patients. In this country, killing a child who is alive is already murder, and was codified into law in 2002, there is no need for further legislation there. However, the real-life consequences of this bill have been seen in states across the country, where pregnant women have been turned away from hospitals — even if they are bleeding out or septic — because doctors are afraid to risk abortion charges. This will only harm more women.

“Finally, the so-called Fix Our Forests Act would not make any meaningful changes to help communities that are vulnerable to wildfire. This bill ignores the fact that worsening fire seasons are driven by climate change and does little to support resilience and recovery efforts. It also would not raise pay or funding for firefighters or fire departments in fire-prone areas — changes we need for our firefighters in Washington state and across the country. Major steps must be taken to protect communities that are at higher risk of wildfires, but this is just a Trojan Horse to pass anti-climate, anti-environment legislation in the wake of the disaster in Los Angeles.”

Issues: Environment, Health Care, Immigration