Hickenlooper Votes Against Republicans’ ICE Funding Bill that Does Nothing to Lower Prices

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper released the following statement after he voted NO on Republicans' Senate budget bill that would authorize an additional $70 billion for President Trump's lawless immigration enforcement instead of addressing the cost-of-living emergency crushing Americans:

"Americans are asking their government for relief from the cost-of-living emergency driven by this president's unwanted war, tariffs, and health care cuts," said Hickenlooper. "Senate Republicans made their priorities clear. They blocked our efforts to lower prices and greenlit billions for Trump's secret police without any guardrails to stop their violence and lawlessness."

Hickenlooper has consistently refused to fund ICE without an overhaul of the agency. Instead of addressing the cost of living crisis impacting Americans, Republicans are rubber stamping legislation that sends $70 billion in new funding to ICE and CBP, in addition to the $75 billion Republicans already approved for ICE last summer.

HICKENLOOPER AMENDMENT:

Hickenlooper spoke on the Senate floor in support of his amendment to give Americans relief from Trump's cost-of-living crisis made worse by the president's war of choice with Iran and his illegal tariff-taxes. Hickenlooper's amendment would give Congress a path to lower costs for Americans by using every affordable and reliable technology available, without adding to the deficit.

Watch his full remarks about his amendment HERE.

"The president's tariffs, health care cuts, and unwanted war have created a cost-of-living emergency," Hickenlooper said. "Across this country, working families are struggling to make ends meet. Let's do our job and help them."

Click HERE to download Hickenlooper's remarks.

ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS:

In total, Hickenlooper introduced 16+ amendments to help lower prices, stop ICE's lawlessness, protect Coloradans' health care, and safeguard our public lands.

Specifically, he introduced and joined amendments to:

Stop ICE's Violence and Lawlessness

• End ICE's Warrantless Raids: Hickenlooper-led amendment to prevent DHS officers from carrying out immigration enforcement actions without a judicial warrant issued by a Federal district court or magistrate judge.

• Protect Schools, Hospitals, Places of Worship from ICE raids: Hickenlooper-led amendment, modeled after his Protecting Sensitive Locations Act, to prevent federal immigration enforcement actions within 1,000 feet of medical or mental healthcare facilities, schools, recreational facilities for children, child care facilities, or places of worship.
  
• Ban ICE Agents from Wearing Masks: Hickenlooper-led amendment to prohibit ICE and CBP officers from wearing face masks while conducting immigration enforcement operations.
  
• Require ICE Agents to Wear Body Cameras: Hickenlooper-led amendment requiring all federal law enforcement officers conducting immigration enforcement to wear and operate a body camera while on duty.

• Stop ICE from Using Warehouses as Detention Facilities: Hickenlooper-led amendment would prevent DHS from using funding from the budget bill to purchase or operate warehouses for their immigration enforcement activities.

• Ensuring People Detained by ICE Receive Critical Health Care: Hickenlooper-led amendment would require DHS to preserve public health experts' access to detention facilities and health records of those detained as well have the ability to investigate disease outbreaks.

Lower Prices for American Families

• Refunds for Trump's Illegal Tariffs: Hickenlooper-led amendment to secure refunds for small businesses and consumers who paid taxes under the president's illegal tariff-taxes.

• Lower Energy Prices: Hickenlooper-led amendment to save Americans from higher energy prices driven up by the president's unwanted war with Iran and tariff-taxes.

Lower the Cost of Health Care

• Restore Medicaid Funding: Hickenlooper-led amendment to redirect $70 billion in ICE funding to shore up Medicaid after Republicans cut nearly $1 trillion from the program in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
  
• Restore Affordable Care Act Funding: Hickenlooper-led amendment to redirect $70 billion in funding for ICE to extend the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits for two years, and protect coverage for 4.2 million Americans.

Stop Reckless Decision Makers

• Protect American National Security: Hickenlooper-led amendment to establish enforceable standards for Senate-confirmed military decision makers to be able to perform critical decision making functions without impairment, following reports that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's and FBI Director Kash Patel's excessive drinking habits could undermine national security decisions.

Protect Public Lands and the Environment

• Prevent Public Lands Sales: Hickenlooper-led amendments to block legislation that would mandate the sale of federal public lands without a public notice or environmental review.

• Address Worsening Drought and Wildfires: Hickenlooper-led amendment to redirect ICE funding to address drought and the wildfire preparedness in Colorado and the West

Safeguard Public Health

• Stop Infectious Diseases Outbreaks: Hickenlooper-led amendment to reallocate $70 billion from ICE to state and local public health departments to help respond to vaccine-preventable illness outbreaks, like the measles outbreaks in Colorado and across the country.

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