Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026

Floor Speech

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Ms. CRAIG. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I want to start by thanking my colleagues in the Democratic Party who did everything in their power to make these bills as best they could under very difficult circumstances.

Over the past month, President Trump has made it his mission to incite chaos and fear in Minnesota. He has taken his quest for political retribution to our communities, and Minnesotans have paid the price.

Through President Trump and Kristi Noem's reckless and lawless ICE operations, the administration has targeted communities of color, ripped families apart, detained U.S. citizens, and made it harder for law enforcement to do their jobs. As a result, it has endangered every single Minnesotan.

Earlier this month, the President's political stunt got a Minneapolis mother, Renee Good, killed. That didn't prompt the President to withdraw ICE or attempt to deescalate the unfolding situation in our cities. Why? Because escalation isn't a symptom. It is the whole point.

I won't vote to give Kristi Noem's ICE one damn penny, but the truth is, I refuse to play any part in this administration's cruel and dangerous agenda. While there are certainly some important provisions in these bills, and I commend my colleagues for working to get them to the place that I know we are now, I can't in good faith support any funding package that enables this administration in any way until ICE de-escalates in Minnesota.

This is not how we operate in America. It is certainly not how we operate in Minnesota. As Members of Congress, we must do everything in our power to fight this administration at every turn, and that means using the power of the purse to curb the President's executive authority.

I urge my colleagues in this body to support me. Enough is enough.

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