Amo Votes No on Funding DHS, Led Amendment to Repeal $75 Billion ICE Slush Fund Voted Down by House Republicans

Washington, DC - TODAY, Congressman Gabe Amo (D-RI) voted against legislation that continues funding the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without securing significant changes to abusive tactics and constitutional violations from Trump's masked paramilitary force.

Earlier, Republicans rejected his proposal to redirect the $75 billion ICE slush fund Trump established in his Big, Ugly Law. Had Amo's amendment been adopted, the $75 billion in savings would have been used to stem the damage from Trump's $1 trillion in health care cuts.

"Budgets are a statement of values. After cutting over $1 trillion from our health care system to give $75 billion to ICE in their Big, Ugly Law, Republicans refused my amendment to melt ICE's slush fund and use those taxpayer dollars to reverse some of their extreme health care cuts - the biggest cut to Medicaid in history," said Congressman Gabe Amo (D-RI), a Member of the House Budget Committee. "Instead, Republicans voted to continue funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), further fueling the public safety crisis inflicted on our communities by Trump's paramilitary force of masked men. I voted no because we should not give DHS another dime of taxpayer dollars to terrorize our communities until ICE is completely overhauled, Kristi Noem is impeached and removed, and we see real change at the department."

Background

Yesterday, Congressman Amo offered the same amendment in the House Rules Committee. Republicans rejected it.

Amo has stood up against Trump and Republicans' attempts to destroy America's health care system and use ICE to inflict terror and fear on our communities. During the budget reconciliation process that created H.R.1, Amo introduced an amendment to make clear that Medicaid is essential to the health of the American people. He has also fought to rein in Trump's ICE and DHS agents. Amo voted no on the last DHS funding bill and helped introduce articles of impeachment against Secretary Noem.

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