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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN)

WASHINGTON — Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Deputy Chair Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05) released the following statement opposing this week’s House Appropriations bill, which contains $28 billion in annual funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP):

“I will be joining my progressive House colleagues to vote no on this week’s appropriations bill, which provides tens of billions of dollars to Donald Trump’s ICE with no meaningful checks on its lawless and violent behavior. I call on all members of Congress to join us in opposing this legislation. 

“Kristi Noem’s ICE is completely out of control. In my community of Minneapolis, a masked ICE officer fired three times at point blank range on Renee Good, a mother of three, killing her in her own vehicle as she attempted to turn away. Senior Trump Administration officials then smeared the victim as a domestic terrorist, lied about what happened, and deployed the Vice President of the United States to say her killer ‘deserves a debt of gratitude.’

“ICE is shooting people in broad daylight, beating up teenagers, spraying tear gas on peaceful protesters, ripping people out of their cars and homes without warrants, racially profiling people based on their accents, taking kids from schools, and abducting people and shipping them to faraway detention camps with brutal conditions and no due process. 

“We say no to Congressional Republicans pushing legislation that provides $400 million more in ICE detention and $370 million more in ICE enforcement, on top of the unprecedented $75 billion that the agency received in Trump’s Big Ugly Bill as ICE terrorizes our communities—all paid for by cutting Americans’ health care and nutrition support.

“The Progressive Caucus is unified. I applaud our members for voting to adopt an official position to deny all funding to ICE’s enforcement actions until serious oversight, accountability and reforms are imposed, including an end to the violent occupation of American cities like Minneapolis. No more blank checks for a rogue agency that operates above the law, escalates violence, and erodes our most basic freedoms.” 

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The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is made up of nearly 100 members standing up for progressive ideals in Washington and throughout the country. Since 1991, the CPC has advocated for progressive policies that prioritize working Americans over corporate interests. The CPC champions policies including comprehensive immigration reform, good-paying jobs, fair trade, universal health care, debt-free college, climate action, and a just foreign policy. The caucus is the leading voice calling for bold and sweeping solutions to the urgent crises facing this nation, including ending America’s broken for-profit health care system, raising American wages, eliminating political corruption, supporting the labor movement, and taking action to protect the planet for generations to come.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Representing the 12th District of California

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement on her vote against H.R.7147, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2026:

“Today, I am voting HELL NO on the Department of Homeland Security appropriations legislation. With this bill, it is now clear that Donald Trump and Republicans slashed Americans’ health care funding to write a blank check for cruelty and impunity.

“Americans are being told to accept higher health care costs so this Administration can maintain their reckless and unaccountable enforcement agenda without meaningful reforms or guardrails for ICE and CBP. Democrats have raised repeated concerns about unlawful practices, lack of transparency, and deadly harm to families and communities. Those concerns have been ignored.

“We can fund our security without abandoning our values, but this bill fails that test.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Frank Pallone (6th District of New Jersey)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) has secured $250,000 in federal Community Project Funding for Fiscal Year 2026 to support pedestrian, public space, and infrastructure improvements in the Elberon section of Long Branch, focused on the area surrounding the Elberon library and train station.

 

“This funding helps Long Branch improve safety and accessibility around a key transit area while preserving an important piece of local history,” said Pallone. “By upgrading public space near the train station and library, this project strengthens the Elberon neighborhood and makes the area more usable for residents, commuters, and visitors.”

 

The funding will support the redesign and resurfacing of the Elberon train station public parking lot, along with the creation of a small public park adjacent to the library. Planned improvements include new green space with grass and tree plantings, seating areas with benches and wooden swings, bike racks, and upgraded lighting to improve safety and accessibility for residents and transit users.

 

The project also includes improvements along Lincoln Avenue, following a historically significant route that connects the Elberon train station to the Church of the Seven Presidents. The corridor traces the path President James A. Garfield traveled in 1881 after being shot in Washington, D.C., when local residents constructed a temporary railroad spur to transport him to Elberon to recover.

 

“This funding will help Long Branch improve safety and accessibility around the Elberon train station and library while creating new public space for the community,” said Long Branch Mayor John Pallone. “We appreciate Congressman Pallone’s work to secure federal funding that supports smart infrastructure improvements and helps preserve the character and history of the Elberon neighborhood.”

 

As part of the project, the historic Garfield Tea House will be relocated to the new library park. The structure was built using railroad ties from the emergency rail line constructed for President Garfield and will serve as a visible historical element within the improved public space. The City of Long Branch is also coordinating with NJ Transit to create a small exhibit inside the Elberon train station highlighting the area’s history and Garfield’s time in Long Branch.

 

The Elberon improvements project was requested by Pallone through the Fiscal Year 2026 federal appropriations process, which allows members of the U.S. House to direct Community Project Funding toward locally identified infrastructure, transportation, and community development priorities.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Frank Pallone (6th District of New Jersey)

WASHINGTON – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) touted the inclusion of important health care provisions in the final set of government funding bills, which passed in the House today.

 

The package of health care initiatives was rejected by the House Republican leadership in December 2024 when Elon Musk intervened and scuttled a bipartisan agreement. Over the last year, Pallone continued the drumbeat and successfully fought to move these policies that will support health care facilities in New Jersey and help lower costs for Americans:

 

“While this package was needlessly held up by Elon Musk for over a year, I’m relieved we’re finally able to pass it in the House. This agreement has a number of important policy victories including an 8% increase in funding for Community Health Centers, prevents devastating cuts to hospitals that care for underserved communities, and funds Teaching Health Centers through 2029.

 

“I also fought to increase funding to address a critical funding shortfall in the World Trade Center Health Program to ensure our 9/11 heroes receive the care they deserve, including those at our local clinic at Rutgers in Piscataway which has treated thousands of first responders and survivors. I’m also pleased to announce the agreement extends Medicare telehealth for two years to ensure seniors can continue to receive the care they need and helps lower prescription drug prices for patients by cracking down on unfair practices by Pharmacy Benefit Managers.

 

“Unfortunately, these funding increases are a drop in the bucket compared to Republicans’ devastating health care cuts in Trump’s Big Ugly Bill, which will result in millions losing their health coverage.

 

“It’s unconscionable that Republican leaders are doubling down on their cruelty by refusing to include the Affordable Care Act enhanced tax credits, which passed the House overwhelmingly earlier this month. It’s time for Senate Republican leaders to stop playing games and put the House-passed bill on the floor immediately so that we can help lower health costs for millions of Americans who are bearing the brunt of the Republican health care crisis.”

 

Pallone fought to include a number of important policy provisions in the government funding package, including:

 

• The largest increase in mandatory funding for Community Health Centers in a decade—equivalent to $4.6 billion for 2026;
• Increasing federal funding for the World Trade Center Health Program to ensure program stability for first responders and survivors to continue to receive the care and services they need;
• Preventing $16 billion in hospital cuts from going into effect for facilities that disproportionately serve vulnerable patients, many of which are in New Jersey;
• Strengthening the health care workforce with significant funding increases for Teaching Health Centers (65% increase from 2025 to 2029) and the National Health Service Corps (13% over 2023).  Pallone previously helped secure a federal Planning and Development grant for the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey Community Health Center. That grant supports the groundwork needed to establish a residency program and positions New Jersey to compete for full Teaching Health Center status in the future;
• Helping lower prescription drug costs for patients by cracking down on unfair practices by Pharmacy Benefit Managers; and
• Guaranteeing access to no-cost generic medications for low-income seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare and making it easier for low-cost generics to enter the market

 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Grace Meng (6th District of New York)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Reps. Grace Meng (D-NY) and Lois Frankel (D-FL), Ranking Members of key Appropriations Subcommittees, Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Co-Chairs of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus (RFC), led 67 Members of Congress in sending a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio to continue demanding answers about the ongoing waste and destruction of life-saving, taxpayer-funded contraception and other health supplies.

Last year, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) purchased $9.7 million worth of contraceptive supplies including birth control pills, hormonal implants, shots, and intrauterine devices (IUDs) to be distributed to sub-Saharan African countries. When the Trump Administration shuttered USAID, it dismantled international family planning programs and decided to destroy the nearly $10 million in usable products rather than distribute them. They were scheduled to be incinerated in July 2025 but have been sitting in warehouses in Belgium since that time.

The letter asks the State Department to clarify the quantities and types of supplies currently in storage, and the Department’s plans to transport, distribute, or destroy them. It follows reports from November 12, 2025, detailing that four truckloads of contraceptive commodities remain in storage in Geel, Belgium, and could be immediately distributed to communities in need if the State Department reversed its decision to destroy them. Reports also indicated that an additional twenty truckloads of U.S.-funded health supplies were moved to another facility in Kallo, Belgium, and may have been rendered unusable due to improper storage conditions.

In their letter, the Congressmembers wrote, “The destruction of contraceptives and other medical supplies is an appalling waste of taxpayer dollars and denies people lifesaving health care, part of a troubling pattern the State Department has followed—including the spoiling and subsequent incineration of 500 metric tons of emergency food the administration could have provided to hungry people. The human toll of this Administration’s dismantling of international family planning programs is nothing short of devastating. The American people deserve to know the fate of U.S.-funded medical supplies held in Belgium—the very same types of supplies millions of people across the U.S. rely on every day to ensure their reproductive freedom—and the cost of the State Department’s actions that continue to keep lifesaving supplies from reaching communities in need.”

Estimates suggest that if distributed, the $9.7 million in contraceptive supplies could prevent 362,000 unintended pregnancies, 110,000 unsafe abortions, and prevent 718 more maternal deaths.

“It is appalling that the Trump administration has spent months dodging questions and accountability about their decision to destroy nearly $10 million worth of already-purchased contraception,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund.  “The administration’s actions are a disgraceful attack on essential care and a complete waste of taxpayer dollars. Unfortunately, this is entirely in line with the president’s anti-sexual and reproductive health agenda abroad that has already had deadly consequences. We thank Rep. Meng, Frankel, and Meeks for championing the fight to distribute these essential commodities.”

Additionally, this letter echoes concerns raised in correspondence sent to the Acting Inspector General for the U.S. State Department in July, led by Meng, Frankel, and Don Beyer (D-VA), and signed by 80 Members of Congress.

A copy of the letter to Secretary Rubio can be viewed here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08)

Congresswoman Schrier released the following statement after voting against the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill: 

“Protecting our national security is a paramount responsibility that I take very seriously. That is why I have a long record of ensuring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has the resources it needs to keep our nation safe. 

“But what we are seeing now is a sharp and dangerous departure from the regular rule of law. The Trump Administration has weaponized the DHS-run Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) against the American people. The Administration promised to deport the worst of the worst, and instead, ICE is now terrorizing communities – killing American citizens, ripping families apart, and sowing fear. This is not what ICE and other law enforcement should be used for. Their actions are causing long-term harm that will be felt for decades after the Trump Administration leaves by undermining the trust that has been built between local law enforcement and the communities they protect. 

“ICE is out of control and needs to be reined in through substantial measures that build accountability, transparency, and restore trust–especially in the wake of the horrific killing of a U.S. citizen that we saw in Minnesota. The package we voted on today fails to take even the most straightforward measures I’ve already called for to ensure accountability, like banning masks and other disguises, requiring officers to identify themselves, and mandating the use of body-worn cameras. Instead, it gives this agency more money without necessary guardrails, further enabling rogue and dangerous behavior that instills fear. That is why I voted against this DHS appropriations package.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL)

WASHINGTON – Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10), a member of the House Ways and Means and Foreign Affairs Committees, released the following statement on his vote against legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security: 

“Two weeks ago, Renee Nicole Good—a loving wife, mother, and US citizen—was needlessly gunned down by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Last fall, an ICE officer shot and killed a man in Chicago, and another officer shot a woman five times in her leg. Thousands of Illinoisans have contacted my office in fear for their families and in outrage for our nation in the wake of these horrific events. 

“People are right to be outraged – I share their outrage. ICE is totally out of control. 

“In the land of the free, the home of the brave, we cannot let stand a status quo that has permitted and even empowered ICE agents to wreak havoc on our communities, to scare our children, and to terrorize—and even kill—our neighbors. 

“Today, the House considered legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security, including ICE. I voted no. 

“We need to force a real change in ICE actions around the country. 

“We need to establish real, enforceable guardrails around ICE’s actions. 

“We need to ensure real accountability for ICE and DHS leadership. 

“And we need to reestablish proper Congressional oversight over ICE’s behavior. 

“The Homeland Security funding bill failed to do any of that. Instead, it will allow ICE to continue its reign of terror unchecked.  

“DHS and ICE should be focused on securing our borders and keeping the American people and our communities safe. That means real action, bound by the law and the protections of our Constitution, that keeps violent criminals, gang members, and drug dealers off our streets. But instead of targeting hardened criminals, ICE is far too often targeting hardworking people, without regard for their constitutional rights and basic dignity. 

“I encourage my colleagues in the US Senate to reject and reform this legislation, so that we can hold ICE accountable and provide communities across the nation the peace, safety, and security they deserve.” 

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Source: {United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District of Virginia)

Headline: Scott Statement on Opposition to the FY 2026 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on his opposition to H.R. 7147, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2026:

“Americans have witnessed deeply troubling abuses of authority by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE agents have arrested and detained American citizens and legal permanent residents, pulling people from their cars, homes and workplaces without warrants or probable cause. 

“The appropriate congressional response should be to hold oversight hearings to force administration officials to explain their actions in public until they are held accountable for their behavior. Regrettably, neither the Committees on Homeland Security, Armed Services, Oversight and Government Reform, nor the Judiciary has held a single hearing on these abuses or the killing of Renee Good, an American citizen, by an ICE agent. According to public reports, the administration is not conducting any investigation of that ICE agent, but they are investigating Ms. Good’s widow. Instead of welcoming a transparent independent investigation, the Trump Administration has obstructed Minnesota officials from opening their own inquiry and the Secretary of Homeland Security prematurely labeled Ms. Good a ‘domestic terrorist’ without any investigation or apparent evidence.

“In the absence of any hearings or investigations by the administration, Democrats are left with only the appropriations process to address oversight of these unprecedented abuses of power. Accordingly, I will oppose the funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security until such time as these abuses cease.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Donald Norcross (1st District of New Jersey)

Rep. Norcross Votes “No” on Republican Homeland Security Spending Bill

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) voted “no” on the Homeland Security Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations Bill.

“Donald Trump, Kristi Noem, and ICE are abusing their power. They promised to go after violent criminals, instead Americans are getting killed and immigrant communities are living in fear. The Republican’s Tax Break for Billionaires Law already dumped $75,000,000,000 into ICE. What they need now is real oversight, transparency, and accountability, not another blank check,” said Congressman Donald Norcross. “The spending package does include $20 million to purchase body cameras for ICE agents, but that’s not good enough. Money alone doesn’t guarantee those cameras get worn. My bill, the Trust Through Transparency Act, would require by law that ICE agents wear body cameras. I will keep pushing until my bill gets over the finish line and body cameras are mandatory for all public-facing immigration enforcement officers. Without enforceable rules, real oversight, and accountability, DHS and ICE will keep operating without consequences. We can do better, which is why I voted ‘no’ on the DHS appropriations bill.”

To read more about the Trust Through Transparency Act, click here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2026 (H.R. 7147). Congresswoman Betty McCollum, the Dean of the Minnesota Congressional Delegation, voted no on the legislation. Upon passage of the bill, the Congresswoman issued the following statement:

“I refuse to vote for any funding for the Department of Homeland Security while the Constitutional rights of Minnesotans are being violated. During the Trump Administration’s invasion and occupation of our state, federal immigration agents have racially profiled our neighbors, apprehended children, killed an innocent mother, disappeared community members, injured people who were taken into custody, and arrested multiple U.S. citizens without cause. Agents of the Department of Homeland Security at the direction of Secretary Noem have weaponized the federal government against communities across this nation, and they are acting with impunity. Secretary Noem should be impeached and removed from office for the appalling conduct that her leadership has empowered. Americans should be outraged that House Republicans have given their stamp of approval for DHS to continue their campaign of chaos, violence, and tyranny.”

Click here to watch Congresswoman McCollum’s floor speech.

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