Casten Statement on the Reckless Republican Budget
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) released the following statement regarding the Reckless Republican Budget:
“It is beyond irresponsible to hand ICE – an agency that has murdered Americans, kidnapped people off our streets, and ignored the constitutional rights of those they’ve detained – a $70 billion check and no accountability. To do so less than one year after providing ICE with an additional $140 billion in the Big Ugly Bill is downright negligent.
“The funding bill passed by the House today fails to include even the most basic guardrails to prevent further abuses by the Department of Homeland Security, protect due process rights, or address the agency’s repeated and catastrophic failures.
“Congressional Republicans could have used this budget to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to compensate January 6th rioters who attacked police officers defending our Capitol. The president has repeatedly stated his intention to do so. Democrats offered amendments to prevent public funds from being used in this way, but Republicans refused to support them.
"Americans have been asking Congress and the Trump Administration to address the skyrocketing cost of living. That is what the reconciliation process should have been used for. Instead, Congressional Republicans chose to waste another $70 billion on an agency focused on brutalizing Americans in our streets. This bill will forever be a stain on all who supported it.”
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