LEADER JEFFRIES FLOOR REMARKS AGAINST REPUBLICAN BILL FUNDING ICE BRUTALITY

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke on the House Floor against House Republicans' DHS funding bill that prioritizes ICE brutality over the American people and in support of legislation that pays our TSA agents and reforms Donald Trump's mass deportation machine.

LEADER JEFFRIES: I rise today in strong opposition to this Republican budget that prioritizes ICE brutality over the American people. We're now more than 40 days into a Trump-Republican shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. Why are we here? Republicans are trying to convince the American people that Democrats should be blamed.

Wait a second. Last time I checked, Republicans control the House, the Senate and the presidency. And you've spent the last 15 months trying to lecture the American people that you have some historic mandate. If, in fact, that is the case, when the government shuts down in its entirety or partially, it's because Republicans have decided to shut the government down, and, in this particular instance, to prioritize ICE brutality over the American people. There's legislation that is available for Republicans to bring to the Floor that would pass overwhelmingly to fund the entirety of the Department of Homeland Security, with the exception of ICE and the Trump extreme mass deportation machine, which has unleashed incredible, unspeakable brutality on the American people and on law-abiding immigrant families.

Why have Republicans chosen to prioritize ICE brutality over the American people when-it's not that complicated-we should be paying TSA agents? Instead, Donald Trump and Republicans have sent ICE agents to airports all across the country. Watch this. ICE agents who are sitting around, standing up, doing nothing to address the airport crisis right now. ICE agents, however, at these very airports, doing nothing, are being paid.

At the same period of time, TSA agents who were doing the work have been forced by Republicans to work without pay for more than 40 days. Why? Republicans have decided that they don't want to get ICE under control and instead are forcing TSA agents to work without pay, inconveniencing millions of Americans all across the country and causing chaos at airports throughout the land. Unacceptable. Enough is enough.

Republicans can simply bring a bill to the Floor to reopen every other aspect of the Department of Homeland Security, pay [TSA] agents, support FEMA, stand up for the Coast Guard and make sure that this country can continue to function. But instead, as we've repeatedly seen, Republicans have decided they'd rather jam your right-wing extreme ideology down the throats of the American people.

We haven't been complicated in the point that we've made to our Republican colleagues about what needs to happen when it comes to ICE. We're standing on the side of the American people. Yes, we will always support securing the border-today, tomorrow, forever. But at the same period of time, immigration enforcement in this country should be fair, just and humane.

[To Republican Representative Interrupting: If you have something to say to me, you can say it right now. That's what I thought.]

Immigration enforcement in this country should be fair, it should be just and it should be humane. But instead, you're unleashing brutality on the American people, using taxpayer dollars, in some instances, to kill American citizens like Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, a nurse who was dedicating his life to be there for veterans who served this country. And we believe that in America, taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for the American people, not brutalize or kill them. To make life more affordable for the American people.

And here's the thing. What we've put on the table-yes, we believe dramatic changes to ICE should be bold and transformational and meaningful, but there are also common-sense changes vastly supported by the American people. That includes ensuring that judicial warrants are required before masked ICE agents can storm the homes of the American people and rip them out of bed in the middle of the night. There should be independent investigations by state and local authorities so that ICE agents who violently break the law can be held accountable, just like every other American. We believe that ICE agents should be compelled to conduct themselves like every other cop, police officer or law enforcement agency. That's not what's happening right now.

We need an end to roving patrols that are violently targeting law-abiding immigrant families and brutalizing the American people. The masks need to come off. Body cameras need to come on. And yes, we also need to protect sensitive locations like houses of worship, hospitals, schools and polling sites. These are common-sense reforms that at the same period of time are bold, meaningful and transformational. They're designed to accomplish one chief objective: make sure that ICE conducts itself like every other law enforcement agency in the country. Like every other cop, every other police officer and every other state trooper. But that's not what's happening in this country right now.

This Republican budget that is before us prioritizes ICE brutality over the American people. And that's why House Democrats are strongly opposed. And what's interesting, to make matters worse, because this is all about priorities and choices, and the choices that Republicans have made, the priorities that Republicans are emphasizing, are all hurting the American people. Using taxpayer dollars to brutalize them, and at the same period of time, spending billions of dollars in a reckless war of choice in the Middle East, dropping bombs in the Middle East, but won't spend a dime to make life more affordable for everyday Americans. What kind of choice is that? That's where your priorities are, Madam Speaker. It's extraordinary to me. We think taxpayer dollars should be used to make life better for the American people. And there are a variety of ways to do it.

We should be focused on that because America is too expensive right now. Donald Trump promised to lower costs on day one. Costs aren't going down, they've gone up. Housing costs out of control. Health insurance premiums out of control. Grocery bills out of control. Child care costs out of control. Utility bills out of control. America is too expensive and is getting more expensive because of failed Republican policies. Donald Trump promised to lower costs on day one. Costs aren't going down, Madam Speaker, in the United States of America, costs are going up as a direct result of failed Republican policies.

The Trump tariffs have increased costs on everyday Americans by thousands of dollars per year. Republicans have refused to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. And as a result, more than 20 million Americans are experiencing dramatically-increased health insurance premiums making it unaffordable for everyday Americans, working-class Americans and middle-class Americans to go see a doctor when they need one. That's policy violence that Republicans are inflicting on the American people.

Republicans have launched a reckless war of choice in the Middle East, dropping bombs, spending billions of dollars. But you can't find a dime to make life more affordable for the American people. What kind of choice is that? And you continue to lean in to your One Big Ugly Bill, which Democrats will continue to expose. Policy violence being inflicted on the American people. In that One Big Ugly Bill, you ripped healthcare away from more than 14 million Americans. That's what Republicans have done. A trillion dollar cut, largest cut to Medicaid in American history. You're choosing ICE brutality over the healthcare of the American people.

At the same period of time, in that One Big Ugly Bill-which every single Democrat in the House and the Senate opposed on behalf of the American people-in that One Big Ugly Bill, Republicans cut nutritional assistance by $186 billion, largest cut to SNAP in American history. Republicans literally ripped food from the mouths of hungry children, seniors and veterans, and then turned around in that same bill and gave the Department of Homeland Security-watch this-$191 billion, including creating a $75 billion slush fund for ICE to unleash brutality and violence on the American people, to kill, in at least three instances, American citizens and to violently target law-abiding immigrant families. Policy violence that Republicans are inflicting on the America people. And then you present this budget in front of us today that again prioritizes ICE brutality over standing up and making life more affordable for the American people?

These are challenging times that we're living through here in the United States of America. Republicans unleashing extremism and policy violence each and every day of this presidency. Challenging times in the United States of America, but help is on the way. And we're seeing that in elections all across the country, including, most recently, in the district where Mar-a-Lago sits. Help is on the way. And so our promise to the American people-we're gonna fight as hard as we can. We're gonna show up and stand up and speak up for the American people. We will lower the high cost of living. We will fix our broken healthcare system. We will clean up corruption. We will get ICE under control. We will stop this reckless war of choice in the Middle East. We will end this national nightmare. And, one day soon, we will continue America's long, necessary and majestic march toward a more perfect union.

Full Floor speech can be watched here.

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