Jayapal To Vote “No” on Spending Deal

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal released the following statement in advance of the House vote on the Conference Report to Accompany H.J. Res. 31:  

“I appreciate the hard work that House Democratic conferees have done since the President’s last irresponsible shutdown held 800,000 federal workers hostage for a vanity wall to push for important Democratic priorities like a long overdue pay raise for federal workers and critical funding for the census.

“I’ve worked on immigration issues for over two decades and this administration’s unconscionable and inhumane treatment of immigrants is the worst I’ve ever seen. I am deeply concerned that House Democrats were blocked from imposing critical limits on Trump’s mass deportation force, leaving the door open to allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ramp up detention beyond levels approved by Congress. DHS has already taken hundreds of millions of dollars from disaster relief to waste on detention. Congress must pass a strong DHS appropriations bill to bring accountability and humanity to our detention system. Unfortunately, this bill did not accomplish this and that is why I will vote no.

“And now as Trump throws yet another temper tantrum and throws the country into a “national emergency” over his vanity wall, this oversight is more important than ever. If Trump thinks he can go around Congress to build a wall or increase immigration detention and enforcement, by declaring a “national emergency,” transferring funds or any other measure, we will hold him accountable. The only crisis at our border is the one President Trump manufactured through his inhumane policies of family separation and limiting access to asylum by turning back asylum seekers at the border. This will not stand.”

Issues: Immigration