Funviralpark Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY) was the only House Democrat to vote against a $1.7 trillion comprehensive spending package on Friday, a move that would end funding for defense and federal agencies that oversee immigration. voted “no” on the bill due to an increase in
The House passed the lawless bill by a 225-201-1 vote, sending the bill to President Biden’s desk. The Senate passed the bill on Thursday with his bipartisan vote of 68 to 29.
of Friday afternoon statementOcasio-Cortez said he was concerned about the funding of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) bills, in addition to the $858 billion defense budget.
“I campaigned on a promise to voters to oppose additional expansion and funding of ICE and DHS, especially in the absence of long-term immigration reform. For that reason, as well as the dramatic increase in defense spending that even exceeds President Biden’s demands, I voted against today’s blanket bill,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
The appropriations bill passed by Congress includes $8.42 billion for ICE, which is $161.1 million more than the budget enacted in 2022 and more than the budget requested by the president. $319.4 million more.
DHS received $86.5 billion in discretionary resources.
Ocasio-Cortez said the “dramatic increase” in spending at these two agencies “[s] It goes against the promises our party has made to immigrant communities across the country,” he added, “especially given the lack of progress on DACA.” [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals]TPS [Temporary Protected Status], and broaden the path to citizenship. ”
New York Democrats weren’t the only caucus members who didn’t vote for the omnibus package. Hill reached out to members of Congress for comment on her vote.
Ocasio-Cortez also challenged Congress’ process of funding the government for the remainder of the fiscal year. Normally, the House votes on appropriation bills for each agency. But this year, we have opted for a single omnibus package to fund every corner of government.
“From the beginning of this negotiation, we urged Democratic leaders to ensure that lawmakers are not forced to betray some of the districts they serve, and that funding legislation by agencies, especially controversial ones like the DHS, is not enforced. Clarifying that the practice of voting must be maintained, Ocasio-Cortez said: “We had success with this approach last year. This year we have such a package.” I look forward to supporting the
The congressman touted provisions contained in an omnibus she helped create—including increasing the National Labor Relations Commission and funding community projects in her district—but her overarching stance on the bill Because of these concerns, she was unable to vote for them.
“These wins and many more wins like the inclusion of PUMP. [Providing Urgent Maternal Protections] and PWFAs [Pregnant Workers Fairness] Acts – The hard-fought victories we proudly stand for and vote for proudly. But after years of highly disturbing misconduct and a lack of meaningful accountability, linking these provisions to dramatic increases in surveillance, border patrol, and military spending is something we are very concerned about. It is a decision that we consider to be offensive to
“Our voters have made it clear that they want Congress to oppose these measures, and that’s what I do,” she added.
