Oppose Three-Year DHS Reconciliation Funding That Eliminates Congressional Oversight

I need you to oppose the Senate Republicans' plan to fund ICE and CBP through budget reconciliation for three years. This scheme would eliminate congressional oversight of these agencies through the entire Trump term, ending in 2028. Since 1789, appropriations have been passed annually for one year. That annual process exists so Congress can review agency performance and demand reforms. A three-year appropriation means that even if Democrats retake the House in 2027, you would have no funding bill to attach ICE reforms to. The agency could engage in serious abuses with zero congressional recourse through appropriations. The reconciliation bill is expected to include $8 billion to expand ICE by 50 percent, hiring 10,000 new employees, plus 3,000 new Border Patrol agents. That creates a combined force twice the size of the FBI. It also includes $45 billion for detention facilities, signaling massive expansion of incarceration capacity. Trump has already deployed ICE agents to airports, and his Deputy Attorney General recently discussed deploying federal agents to polling places. The reconciliation process limits Senate debate to just 20 hours on the bill, with votes scheduled overnight. By the time final text is available, it will be too late to stop this. You must raise alarms and demand amendments now, before this becomes law.

First sent on April 23 by Jeffrey Barlow