Seven Democrats voted alongside Republicans to approve a spending bill funding the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.
In a 220-207 vote, the bill passed. One Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), voted against the bill.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar condemned the vote, stating, Kristi Noem and ICE are out of control. “Taxpayer dollars are being misused to brutalize U.S. citizens, including the tragic killing of Renee Nicole Good. This extremism must end.” The statement added, “Unfortunately, House Republicans have rejected the effort to address the serious concerns raised by the American people about the lawless conduct by ICE. For this reason, we are voting No on the Homeland Security appropriations bill.”
Those who voted in support of the measure are Reps. Tom Suozzi (NY), Henry Cuellar (TX), Don Davis (NC), Laura Gillen (NY), Jared Golden (ME), Vicente Gonzalez (TX), and Marie Glusenkamp Perez (WA).
Explaining why he supported the measure, Suozzi said he sought “not to expand ICE enforcement or add more agents, but to fund the core operations Americans rely on every day, FEMA disaster response, TSA security, Customs and Border Protection, the Coast Guard, passport processing, and other essential services.”
“I strongly oppose allowing another shutdown to disrupt the lives of working families,” he said. “We saw the damage of a shutdown last year: millions of Americans lost pay and access to essential services. Congress has a responsibility to govern, not to lurch from one manufactured crisis to the next.”
