Lee and Pocan Offer Amendments on Trump Administration’s Muslim Ban
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Barbara Lee (CA-13) and Mark Pocan (WI-02) today offered two amendments during the Appropriations Committee markup of the FY 2018 Homeland Security bill. The Lee Amendment would have prohibited any federal funding for implementation of the Muslim ban. The Pocan Amendment would have expanded the list of bona fide relationships under the Trump Administration’s Muslim ban to include all familial relationships, including grandparents and grandchildren.
“Our nation is, has been and will always be a nation of immigrants. Closing our doors to refugees and Muslims is un-American and unconstitutional. We simply cannot afford to let the Trump Administration implement an executive order that would undermine our democracy, weaken our leadership on the world stage and place national security at risk,” said Lee. “Today I was proud to offer an amendment that would prohibit funds from implementing, administering, or enforcing President Trump’s heartless Muslim ban. This is not who we are.”
“The families affected by the Muslim ban are fleeing unthinkable violence, and to further exacerbate the situation by breaking up grandchildren and grandparents is shameful. President Trump’s divisive and arbitrary executive order devalues familial relationships and makes it extremely difficult for families to reconnect and stay together,” said Pocan. “While the Muslim ban wages war on a core American value of freedom from persecution and discrimination, Congress had the chance to help settle one of the most disturbing aspects of the executive order. The amendment I offered in committee had the power to stop the practices of breaking up families and I am disappointed that it failed.”
To watch the full debate on the amendment, please click here.
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