WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) signed a discharge petition to force a vote on a bill introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro which would immediately fund all agencies within the Department of Homeland Security except for ICE, CBP, and the Office of the Secretary while negotiations on reforms to address those agencies' malfeasance continue.

"The hardworking employees of the U.S. Coast Guard, TSA, cybersecurity, FEMA, and equally critical agencies at the Department of Homeland Security are missing paychecks this month because of an avoidable shutdown. A simple commonsense solution is available: Congress must pass funding for all components of DHS except for ICE, CBP, and the Office of the Secretary. A majority of Americans agree that ICE has gone too far under the Trump Administration, and because the White House and Congressional majority leaders have so far refused to listen to Americans and commit to commonsense reforms that address ICE's recurring and systemic flaws, this bill is needed to ensure the essential work of all other DHS agencies can continue uninterrupted. I cosponsored this measure when it was introduced on February 11th. I urge my colleagues to sign this discharge petition to force a vote on this bill."

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