Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on February 7, 2024. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Democrats will exploit the unlimited number of amendment votes they have to Republicans’ budget resolution to highlight policy differences on cost-of-living issues and immigration activity.
“We are in favor of lowering costs for the American people, whether it be housing, health care, electricity costs, food or child care,” he said. “And they’re funding a rogue police force that isn’t even popular with the American people.”
Republicans voted on Tuesday Start debate to its budget resolution, which includes instructions that would allow the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Judiciary Committee to each draft a bill that would spend up to $70 billion on immigration enforcement.
The amendment debate could begin on Wednesday or Thursday, followed by a straightforward majority vote to approve the budget resolution and send it to the House of Representatives.
GOP leaders are using the same thing sophisticated budget reconciliation process They used last year to pass their “big, beautiful” law to authorize three years of funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. The previous bill, passed last July, included $170 billion strengthen the administration’s immigration activities.
The House and Senate must vote to pass the budget resolution before they can exploit the reconciliation process to approve a bill without having to collect 60 votes in the Senate to end debate.
Spending for these two agencies would normally be funded through the Homeland Security Department’s annual funding bill. But that process stalled earlier this year when Democrats called for modern restrictions on immigration activity after federal officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.
Negotiations between Republicans and Democrats were sluggish and led to a record-breaking shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security that began in mid-February.
President Donald Trump urged Republican lawmakers to vote against all Democratic amendments a social media post.
“The radical left Democrats and their so-called ‘leader’ Chuck Schumer, one of the most incompetent senators in American history, will attempt to offer ‘amendments’ in this process to divide Republicans,” he wrote. “Republicans must stand together and unite to get this done and keep America safe – something Democrats don’t care about. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
“Clear contrast” should be highlighted
Democrats said while their press conference They plan to exploit the marathon vote on amendments to the budget resolution that begins the reconciliation process to force Republicans to vote on multiple issues.
“We are prepared to use our amendments to highlight the stark contrast between the parties in terms of who is in favor of cutting your costs and who is not,” Schumer said.
Patty Murray, D-Wash., ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Republicans in Congress are focused on allocating tens of billions of dollars in additional funding for immigration enforcement rather than working on legislation to reduce everyday costs for Americans.
“Gasoline prices have skyrocketed. Health care premiums have doubled or tripled, or worse, cost millions to cover. So what are Republicans doing about it? Nothing,” she said. “Their most urgent top priority this week is to shovel at least $70 billion into ICE and Border Patrol, with no accountability, no reforms and no conditions.”
Hawaii Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz said Republicans were sending a clear message about their policy goals and priorities by using the reconciliation process to give the administration another significant boost to immigration and deportation activities.
“When you have the majority in the Senate, you have limited opportunities to use this unusual tool of reconciliation — once, maybe twice a year,” he said. “And so it’s pretty significant that they chose not to change the cost of living at all using this tool.”
Klobuchar opposes $70 billion for immigration enforcement
Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar said $70 billion in federal spending could be used to address many other challenges facing the country.
Instead of giving it to ICE and Border Patrol, she said, Congress could enhance the number of local police officers, or assist people pay the cost of their health insurance premiums, or let Medicare cover the cost of dental, vision and hearing care, build hundreds of thousands of modern homes, or assist lower the cost of child care for millions.
Republicans, she said, also know there is a need to put limits on federal immigration officials after events like those in her home state and across the country.
“They know there are serious problems. Why? Some of them joined us at this court hearing and asked Kristi Noem to leave,” Klobuchar said the hearing at the beginning of March this happened just days before the former DHS secretary was removed. “Some of them asked just as difficult questions as we did.”
