Senator Hassan Statement on Republicans Advancing Partisan Slush Fund for ICE, Trump’s Ballroom, Out of Homeland Security Committee

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) released the following statement after Republicans on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted to advance legislation that expands a partisan slush fund for ICE and provides $1 billion in taxpayer dollars for President Trump’s ballroom. Republicans on the Committee rejected Senator Hassan’s amendments to put common-sense guardrails on ICE and redirect the ballroom funds to expanding health care and countering terrorism and child sex exploitation.

“As Americans struggle with the highest inflation in years and gas prices approach $5 a gallon because of President Trump’s illegal war with Iran, Congressional Republicans are pushing through a partisan slush fund for the President’s whims – including giving him $1 billion in taxpayer money for an opulent White House ballroom. Americans want action to bring down costs, fix our broken health care system, and put common-sense guardrails on ICE. Yet instead of working with Democrats to put together a bill that addresses these concerns, Republicans gave President Trump a blank check to spend on an increasingly lawless ICE and increasingly expensive vanity projects. This vote is just more proof of just how out-of-touch President Trump and Washington Republicans are from the concerns of the American people.”

During today’s Committee mark-up, Republicans voted down 14 of Senator Hassan’s amendments to help address the concerns of the American people, including:

• An amendment to prevent using taxpayer dollars for ICE warehouse detention centers that are built without state or local approval

• An amendment to restore Affordable Care Act tax credits, which helped ensure that millions of Americans could afford health care, rather than spending $1 billion on a White House ballroom

• An amendment to redirect the $1 billion for Trump’s ballroom to countering child sex exploitation

• An amendment to redirect the $1 billion for Trump’s ballroom to the National Counterterrorism Center

• An amendment requiring Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers to display last name, ID number, and home agency, while providing $75 million in funds for digital privacy services for ICE agents

• An amendment prohibiting DHS officers from entering homes without judicial warrants, subject to lawfully valid exceptions

• Amendment to require DHS to improve its use of force standards including prohibiting deadly force against civilians legally carrying firearms who pose no credible threat and against restrained, immobilized civilians

• Amendments to fund reviews of conflicts of interest involving DHS employees, including conflicts involving contracting and procuring advertisements

• An amendment to prevent the Trump administration from displaying pictures of the President on federal building exteriors

• An amendment to prevent President Trump from renaming the Kennedy Center

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