STATEMENT: Congressional Republicans’ Budget Resolution Ignores Americans’ Cost-of-Living Concerns While Funneling Billions to Trump’s Lawless ICE

Washington, D.C. — Today, Senate Republicans released a budget resolution that calls for $70 billion in new funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection, the first procedural step in congressional Republicans’ plan to provide multiple years of funding for these agencies with no guardrails for the Trump administration by using the partisan budget reconciliation process. In response, Neera Tanden, president and CEO at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:

Through his cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, tariff policy, and senseless warmongering, Donald Trump has made it more difficult for millions of Americans to afford health care, gas, and groceries. Rather than focus on the American people’s priorities, congressional Republicans are following Trump by putting $70 billion on the nation’s credit card to supercharge ICE, an agency they refuse to hold accountable despite killing multiple U.S. citizens in our streets and refusing to follow basic law enforcement safeguards. Congressional Republicans should do their job and listen to the large majority of Americans who are crying out for help to afford the basics and support commonsense reforms to hold ICE accountable.

Related resources:

• Trump and Congressional Republicans’ Plan To Pump More Money Into ICE and Border Patrol Is a Missed Opportunity To Help Americans by Bobby Kogan
• 4 Strategies To Improve ICE and CBP Recruiting, Hiring, and Training Using State and Local Best Practices by Allie Preston and Nick Wilson
• The Trump Administration’s ICE and CBP Have Become a Threat to Americans: Congress Must Ensure That DHS Follows the Law and Adopts Commonsense Reforms by Dan Herman, Allie Preston, and Gréta Bedekovics