On Thursday, January 24th, the Senate will take up two bills. The first is a Republican bill that includes President Trump’s insistence on border wall funding. The second is a continuing resolution backed by Democrats that would reopen government through February 8th. The following is a statement from Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice.
America’s Voice strongly recommends that Senators vote “no” on advancing the Republican bill entitled “End the Shutdown and Secure the Border Act” — a measure that, among other provisions, would fund Trump’s border wall that he promised Mexico would pay for.
America’s Voice strongly recommends that Senators vote “yes” to advance H.R. 268 that would reopen the federal government to allow for discussions to continue without holding the American people and 800,000 federal workers hostage.
President Trump is an unpopular President using an unpopular tactic in pursuit of an unpopular border wall. The nation doesn’t need and doesn’t want a border wall. The nation doesn’t need and doesn’t want a government shutdown. The economy doesn’t need nor can it withstand a sustained shutdown. Most of all, the families who are directly affected do not deserve to be treated so unfairly and need to be paid for the work they do. It’s time for the government to be reopened now and for the policy discussions to be concluded shortly thereafter – without a gun at the nation’s head.
The President’s offer on immigration policy, as expressed in his speech on Saturday, was hyped as an attempt to incorporate Democratic priorities, such as a DACA extension for Dreamers and similar relief for TPS holders. In fact, the proposals as written expose the bait-and-switch nature of the actual bill. The bill as written guts DACA and TPS. In addition, the bill as written eviscerates protections for immigrant kids fleeing for their lives. This is not a serious effort to reach across the aisle, but rather a cynical public relations gesture aimed at changing the media narrative.
We strongly urge Senators to reject the bill to advance border wall funding and to support the bill to advance the immediate reopening of government.
