Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) appeared on CNN Wednesday to discuss the government spending bill, undocumented young people, and a federal children's healthcare program. (Photo: CNN/Screenshot)
Without Fixes for DACA and CHIP, Sanders Vows to Vote 'No' on Spending Bill
"Republicans have been so busy trying to give huge tax breaks to billionaires and the wealthy they haven't paid one iota of attention to this looming crisis."
As Congress switches gears from forcing through a GOP tax plan that caters to the wealthiest Americans at the expense of working families to voting on legislation to fund the government, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) says he will oppose the spending bill to call attention to demands by undocumented immigrants and a federal children's healthcare program that is rapidly running out of money.
While 42 Senators in the Democratic Caucus have reportedly vowed to filibuster the continuing resolution and trigger a government shutdown if Republicans include any provisions in the spending bill that would undermine environmental regulations, Sanders said on CNN Wednesday that he will vote "no" because of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)--which expired at the end of September--and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which the Trump administration terminated earlier that month.
Watch:
"Before we even get to the budget, we must take care of several urgent, overdue responsibilities that Republicans have ignored," Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who both voted against the last spending resolution, wrote in a New York Times op-ed published Sunday.
"We must fulfill our promise to 800,000 Dreamers--aspiring young Americans who will lose their legal immigration status if we don't act," they wrote about those whose legal status has or will soon expire because the Trump administration ended DACA. Dreamers and immigrant advocates have continued to protest, demanding that Democrats deliver on their promise to pass a bill to restore DACA protections before the New Year.
"We also need to renew expired funding for community health centers and the Children's Health Insurance Program so that tens of millions of families and nine million children don't lose access to affordable health care," Sanders and Warren wrote. "These are basic responsibilities and they cannot wait."
Democrats seem to be backing away from their pledge to fix DACA, with reports that a deal to protect Dreamers but target other undocumented immigrants is being crafted behind closed doors at the White House. However, CHIP--until this year--has enjoyed wide bipartisan support since it launched in 1997. Parents, state lawmakers, and even late-night television show host Jimmy Kimmel are calling on the Republican-led Congress to immediately refund the healthcare program.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
As Congress switches gears from forcing through a GOP tax plan that caters to the wealthiest Americans at the expense of working families to voting on legislation to fund the government, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) says he will oppose the spending bill to call attention to demands by undocumented immigrants and a federal children's healthcare program that is rapidly running out of money.
While 42 Senators in the Democratic Caucus have reportedly vowed to filibuster the continuing resolution and trigger a government shutdown if Republicans include any provisions in the spending bill that would undermine environmental regulations, Sanders said on CNN Wednesday that he will vote "no" because of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)--which expired at the end of September--and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which the Trump administration terminated earlier that month.
Watch:
"Before we even get to the budget, we must take care of several urgent, overdue responsibilities that Republicans have ignored," Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who both voted against the last spending resolution, wrote in a New York Times op-ed published Sunday.
"We must fulfill our promise to 800,000 Dreamers--aspiring young Americans who will lose their legal immigration status if we don't act," they wrote about those whose legal status has or will soon expire because the Trump administration ended DACA. Dreamers and immigrant advocates have continued to protest, demanding that Democrats deliver on their promise to pass a bill to restore DACA protections before the New Year.
"We also need to renew expired funding for community health centers and the Children's Health Insurance Program so that tens of millions of families and nine million children don't lose access to affordable health care," Sanders and Warren wrote. "These are basic responsibilities and they cannot wait."
Democrats seem to be backing away from their pledge to fix DACA, with reports that a deal to protect Dreamers but target other undocumented immigrants is being crafted behind closed doors at the White House. However, CHIP--until this year--has enjoyed wide bipartisan support since it launched in 1997. Parents, state lawmakers, and even late-night television show host Jimmy Kimmel are calling on the Republican-led Congress to immediately refund the healthcare program.
As Congress switches gears from forcing through a GOP tax plan that caters to the wealthiest Americans at the expense of working families to voting on legislation to fund the government, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) says he will oppose the spending bill to call attention to demands by undocumented immigrants and a federal children's healthcare program that is rapidly running out of money.
While 42 Senators in the Democratic Caucus have reportedly vowed to filibuster the continuing resolution and trigger a government shutdown if Republicans include any provisions in the spending bill that would undermine environmental regulations, Sanders said on CNN Wednesday that he will vote "no" because of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)--which expired at the end of September--and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which the Trump administration terminated earlier that month.
Watch:
"Before we even get to the budget, we must take care of several urgent, overdue responsibilities that Republicans have ignored," Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who both voted against the last spending resolution, wrote in a New York Times op-ed published Sunday.
"We must fulfill our promise to 800,000 Dreamers--aspiring young Americans who will lose their legal immigration status if we don't act," they wrote about those whose legal status has or will soon expire because the Trump administration ended DACA. Dreamers and immigrant advocates have continued to protest, demanding that Democrats deliver on their promise to pass a bill to restore DACA protections before the New Year.
"We also need to renew expired funding for community health centers and the Children's Health Insurance Program so that tens of millions of families and nine million children don't lose access to affordable health care," Sanders and Warren wrote. "These are basic responsibilities and they cannot wait."
Democrats seem to be backing away from their pledge to fix DACA, with reports that a deal to protect Dreamers but target other undocumented immigrants is being crafted behind closed doors at the White House. However, CHIP--until this year--has enjoyed wide bipartisan support since it launched in 1997. Parents, state lawmakers, and even late-night television show host Jimmy Kimmel are calling on the Republican-led Congress to immediately refund the healthcare program.