McClellan Statement on Vote on Department of Homeland Security Funding Bill

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) issued the following statement after she voted against H.R. 7744 providing funding to the Department of Homeland Security:

“Over the past year, the Trump Administration’s ICE, Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security’s operations have put the American people at greater risk and caused a public safety crisis with little to no oversight. Masked agents carry offensive weapons as they break into homes, abduct, detain and kill people. Today, news broke of another U.S. citizen, Ruben Ray Martinez, shot and killed by a DHS agent months ago, adding to the known death toll under this Administration and its paramilitary force in our streets.

“DHS must be held to the same standards as any other law enforcement agency: body cameras and clear IDs, no masks, transparent reporting systems and more. Until real accountability measures are put in place, I cannot in good conscience vote to fund an out-of-control department that undermines constitutional rights with impunity. I welcome today’s firing of Kristi Noem as DHS Secretary, but the Trump Administration’s mass deportation agenda going forward seems to be more of the same. A leadership change in name only does not go nearly far enough to address the public safety crisis created by DHS and prevent the pain and suffering in our communities from continuing.

“Congressional Republicans used Trump’s latest military strikes and attempted war of choice to ram through funding for DHS without the necessary guardrails Democrats have demanded since the start of negotiations, when ICE and Border Patrol already received nearly $200 billion in funding through the Big Ugly Law passed last year. I will not legitimize this Administration’s reckless military campaign with additional DHS funding while they terrorize American citizens at home and shirk their responsibility to seek Congressional authorization for military action abroad. With six American servicemembers killed and more of our troops put in harm’s way, we cannot and should not play political games with people’s lives.

“As Congressional Republicans rubberstamp this Administration’s actions to make our communities less safe, I will continue to sound the alarm and urge my colleagues to do the same.”