Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chairs Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) hold a news conference in the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center May 17, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Dec 16, 2019
The leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus condemned the $1.4 trillion spending package that passed the House Tuesday, calling the legislation a massive giveaway to the Pentagon and a green light for President Donald Trump's "immoral mass detention policies."
"The bill before us today will not stop the abuse and wrongful detention of people in custody, nor will it prevent the Trump administration from misusing federal funds to advance their horrific mass detention and deportation agenda," Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), co-chairs of the Progressive Caucus, said in a statement just ahead of the vote.
"We also find it offensive that at a time when millions of families can't afford to put food on the table, this bill wastes $1.375 billion on the pointless, immoral border wall," continued Jayapal and Pocan. "We cannot support legislation which enables a cruel president and administration to continue to use immigrants as political pawns and ignore the will of Congress by transferring money that was authorized for essential priorities to the president's own vanity projects. We will be voting no."
\u201cI refuse to support more funding for President Trump\u2019s immoral mass detention policies & unchecked & wasteful Pentagon spending. \n\n@HouseDemocrats must do better \u2014 we cannot rubber stamp hateful & dangerous policies. \n\nWe cannot keep giving @DeptofDefense & @DHSgov a blank check.\u201d— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@Rep. Pramila Jayapal) 1576608315
Despite official opposition from the Congressional Progressive and Hispanic Caucuses, the spending package easily passed the House on Tuesday. The package now heads to the Republican-controlled Senate, where it is expected to pass by Friday.
"The package passed in two pieces, one focused on GOP national security priorities including the Pentagon, the other on domestic agencies dear to Democrats such as the Health and Human Services Department," the Washington Postreported. "The vote on the national security package was 280-138. The vote on the domestic agencies was 297-120."
The year-end spending measure--which one critic described as a "sea of special interest giveaways"--boosts Pentagon funding by $22 billion, bringing its total 2020 budget to $738 billion.
\u201cToday, I refused to fund this President's inhumane immigration policies & endless defense spending.\n\n@realDonaldTrump's border wall, his family separation policies & child detention centers are not something I can support.\n\nWe must fund the government without funding hate.\u201d— Rep. Mark Pocan (@Rep. Mark Pocan) 1576611569
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said the spending package fails "to hold this president accountable for his human rights abuses--both foreign and domestic."
"Rather than using our mandate for reform, the national security bill passed today maintains the status quo in foreign policy, giving the president a blank check to continue unwinnable wars, allows him to fund his racist border wall, and increases funding for human rights abuses under ICE," Omar said in a statement. "This is simply unconscionable."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus condemned the $1.4 trillion spending package that passed the House Tuesday, calling the legislation a massive giveaway to the Pentagon and a green light for President Donald Trump's "immoral mass detention policies."
"The bill before us today will not stop the abuse and wrongful detention of people in custody, nor will it prevent the Trump administration from misusing federal funds to advance their horrific mass detention and deportation agenda," Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), co-chairs of the Progressive Caucus, said in a statement just ahead of the vote.
"We also find it offensive that at a time when millions of families can't afford to put food on the table, this bill wastes $1.375 billion on the pointless, immoral border wall," continued Jayapal and Pocan. "We cannot support legislation which enables a cruel president and administration to continue to use immigrants as political pawns and ignore the will of Congress by transferring money that was authorized for essential priorities to the president's own vanity projects. We will be voting no."
\u201cI refuse to support more funding for President Trump\u2019s immoral mass detention policies & unchecked & wasteful Pentagon spending. \n\n@HouseDemocrats must do better \u2014 we cannot rubber stamp hateful & dangerous policies. \n\nWe cannot keep giving @DeptofDefense & @DHSgov a blank check.\u201d— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@Rep. Pramila Jayapal) 1576608315
Despite official opposition from the Congressional Progressive and Hispanic Caucuses, the spending package easily passed the House on Tuesday. The package now heads to the Republican-controlled Senate, where it is expected to pass by Friday.
"The package passed in two pieces, one focused on GOP national security priorities including the Pentagon, the other on domestic agencies dear to Democrats such as the Health and Human Services Department," the Washington Postreported. "The vote on the national security package was 280-138. The vote on the domestic agencies was 297-120."
The year-end spending measure--which one critic described as a "sea of special interest giveaways"--boosts Pentagon funding by $22 billion, bringing its total 2020 budget to $738 billion.
\u201cToday, I refused to fund this President's inhumane immigration policies & endless defense spending.\n\n@realDonaldTrump's border wall, his family separation policies & child detention centers are not something I can support.\n\nWe must fund the government without funding hate.\u201d— Rep. Mark Pocan (@Rep. Mark Pocan) 1576611569
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said the spending package fails "to hold this president accountable for his human rights abuses--both foreign and domestic."
"Rather than using our mandate for reform, the national security bill passed today maintains the status quo in foreign policy, giving the president a blank check to continue unwinnable wars, allows him to fund his racist border wall, and increases funding for human rights abuses under ICE," Omar said in a statement. "This is simply unconscionable."
The leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus condemned the $1.4 trillion spending package that passed the House Tuesday, calling the legislation a massive giveaway to the Pentagon and a green light for President Donald Trump's "immoral mass detention policies."
"The bill before us today will not stop the abuse and wrongful detention of people in custody, nor will it prevent the Trump administration from misusing federal funds to advance their horrific mass detention and deportation agenda," Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), co-chairs of the Progressive Caucus, said in a statement just ahead of the vote.
"We also find it offensive that at a time when millions of families can't afford to put food on the table, this bill wastes $1.375 billion on the pointless, immoral border wall," continued Jayapal and Pocan. "We cannot support legislation which enables a cruel president and administration to continue to use immigrants as political pawns and ignore the will of Congress by transferring money that was authorized for essential priorities to the president's own vanity projects. We will be voting no."
\u201cI refuse to support more funding for President Trump\u2019s immoral mass detention policies & unchecked & wasteful Pentagon spending. \n\n@HouseDemocrats must do better \u2014 we cannot rubber stamp hateful & dangerous policies. \n\nWe cannot keep giving @DeptofDefense & @DHSgov a blank check.\u201d— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@Rep. Pramila Jayapal) 1576608315
Despite official opposition from the Congressional Progressive and Hispanic Caucuses, the spending package easily passed the House on Tuesday. The package now heads to the Republican-controlled Senate, where it is expected to pass by Friday.
"The package passed in two pieces, one focused on GOP national security priorities including the Pentagon, the other on domestic agencies dear to Democrats such as the Health and Human Services Department," the Washington Postreported. "The vote on the national security package was 280-138. The vote on the domestic agencies was 297-120."
The year-end spending measure--which one critic described as a "sea of special interest giveaways"--boosts Pentagon funding by $22 billion, bringing its total 2020 budget to $738 billion.
\u201cToday, I refused to fund this President's inhumane immigration policies & endless defense spending.\n\n@realDonaldTrump's border wall, his family separation policies & child detention centers are not something I can support.\n\nWe must fund the government without funding hate.\u201d— Rep. Mark Pocan (@Rep. Mark Pocan) 1576611569
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said the spending package fails "to hold this president accountable for his human rights abuses--both foreign and domestic."
"Rather than using our mandate for reform, the national security bill passed today maintains the status quo in foreign policy, giving the president a blank check to continue unwinnable wars, allows him to fund his racist border wall, and increases funding for human rights abuses under ICE," Omar said in a statement. "This is simply unconscionable."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.