STATEMENT: Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester Opposes DHS Funding Bill

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) released the following statement upon voting against the FY26 appropriations minibus, which included funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

"ICE has turned into a roving secret police force responsible for the murders of at least two American citizens. It is fundamentally broken and must be stripped down to the studs and thoroughly reformed. For that reason, and in this moment, I cannot support legislation that provides them with any additional federal funding - for any amount of time - without necessary reforms. Considering the track record of Republicans in Washington, I have little confidence we will be in a different place in two weeks. I hope Republicans prove me wrong, and they become committed to enacting meaningful reform alongside us.

"This was a very difficult vote. It's disappointing that Republicans held critical funding for our constituents hostage with this package. After much prayer, careful consideration, and hearing from thousands of Delawareans, I could not support it."

###

Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the United States Senate where she serves on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.