Washington, D.C. — Today Andrew O’Neill, Indivisible’s National Advocacy Director, released the following statement after the majority of Senate Democrats blocked consideration of the House DHS bill:
“Today’s vote makes clear that Republicans do not have the votes to force through more funding for ICE and Border Patrol to continue their unchecked violence. Democrats have the leverage, and they are using it. The only viable path forward is for Republicans to stop defending Trump’s secret police and agree to legislation that truly protects our communities and respects civil rights.
“Let’s be clear: If DHS shuts down, it will be because Republicans chose political games over responsible governance. They have had every opportunity to pursue a workable funding agreement and instead decided to double down on extremism and cruelty. Democrats must continue to reject the status quo at DHS – even if Republicans attempt to engineer chaos to escape accountability.
“The burden to prevent a shutdown of any federal agency rests entirely with the Republican majority. They are demanding unchecked authority and unlimited funding for agencies that have abused their power and harmed our communities. That is unacceptable. If Republicans refuse to change course, they alone will answer for the consequences. Democrats will not be complicit in continuing policies that inflict fear, violence, and injustice on the people they represent.”
# # #
ABOUT THE INDIVISIBLE PROJECT
The Indivisible Project is a registered 501(c)(4) nonprofit. Our mission is to cultivate and lift up a grassroots movement of local groups to defeat the Trump agenda, elect progressive leaders, and realize bold progressive policies. Across the nation, thousands of local groups are using the Indivisible Guide to hold their members of Congress accountable.