WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Nellie Pou (D-NJ-09), a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, today voted no on H.R. 7147, the bill which provides appropriations to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Today I voted no on funding the broken Department of Homeland Security. This bill includes no new guardrails against ICE's exploding lawlessness. It fails to guarantee due process rights and the safety and security of U.S. citizens who continue to be harassed, detained, assaulted, and even killed by masked DHS agents during their operations.

"As a Committee member, I have pushed to increase funding for important DHS grants and programs, including training and equipment for first responders and resources to secure houses of worship, to keep my constituents safe. I have fought to ensure that federal employees are performing the duties and responsibilities of those offices. Yet, we have repeatedly seen DHS illegally withhold and terminate vital security grants, while simultaneously redirecting Department employees away from their core responsibilities.

"The Department under Kristi Noem demonstrates complete contempt for the rule of law, jeopardizes the safety of countless individuals, and undermines public trust in law enforcement. From $200 million in taxpayer money used for an ad campaign benefiting an aide's family member as part of the Secretary's self-promotion to private jet junkets and masked agents running amok, this DHS has shown a pattern of undeniable corruption. Congress has a responsibility to take real and effective action to root out corruption, not fertilize it with additional dollars."

Congresswoman Pou has been outspoken on DHS' discriminatory cancellation and withholding of grants, including counterterrorism funding to New Jersey. On October 14, Pou led 11 members of New Jersey's congressional delegation calling on U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to restore federal security grant funding that is being slashed by the Trump administration by nearly 50 percent.

During a hearing this week, Congresswoman Pou slammed senior DHS officials over corrupt patterns, election denialism, and efforts to sideline committee members amid calls for transparency. Watch the clip here.

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