CONGRESSMAN ADRIANO ESPAILLAT OPPOSES OMNIBUS BUDGET DEAL, WILL VOTE AGAINST SPENDING PACKAGE

Additional Spending Will Significantly Contribute to Trump Administration Anti-Immigrant Policy Agenda

  Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) released the following statement regarding his opposition to the Omnibus Appropriations Act budget deal, which is expected to be voted on in the House later today.

“I am pleased that we found a solution to keep the government open through October and that this deal does not include funding for President Trump’s border wall, nor does it eliminate money for sanctuary cities. There are several issues that I am proud to champion that will be further supported through this legislation – programs such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Child Care and Development Block Grants (CCDBG), Pell Grants, nutrition programs for seniors, Planned Parenthood, affordable housing and Head Start.

“However, the devil is in the details, and after further reviewing this total package, I cannot, in good conscience, support it. This bill will increase funding for defense and homeland security and is essentially $1.2 billion of President Trump’s original $3 billion request for border security and interior enforcement.  We have had more than 100 days to fully understand Trump’s anti-immigration agenda – and by now, we fully know that any funding for homeland security, border security and enforcement directed to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), at this point, will be used to increase raids and detentions by these agencies with little to no oversight or accountability, essentially funding the President Trump’s mass deportation agenda.

“The Omnibus bill will strengthen mass deportations under Trump and does not provide a long-term solution for Puerto Rico’s economic crisis, leaving Puerto Rico’s Medicaid funding with only a third of the funding it needs. Short-term stopgap measures, like the one included in this bill, fail to appropriately address the real, year-long funding issues that Puerto Rico faces now and will continue to face just months after this spending bill passes.  I have grave concerns as this bill will significantly increase raids, deportations, detentions, border security and immigration enforcement all in the name of national security, and I will not and cannot turn my back on immigrants, immigrant families, immigrant children in my district or communities across the nation by supporting this funding package.

“More so, this spending bill comes at the same time as President Trump and House Republicans continue to push the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which will cut crucial Medicaid spending by $880 billion over the next ten years and cuts taxes for the rich by $600 billion.  Even worse, The Trump administration continues to make backroom deals that target immigrants and the sick and elderly to pass this harmful and unpopular bill. I cannot support a spending bill at a time when the Administration sees it fit to increase defense and homeland security enforcement spending, while gutting critical health care programs through their healthcare bill.”