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Floor Speech

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Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, we are negotiating right now over much- needed reforms for ICE and Border Patrol. The reality, which I think we do all understand is that we are still very far apart; but as negotiations continue, Democrats have tried again and again to give paychecks to TSA and CISA and the Coast Guard and FEMA, Agencies that are doing really important work right now.

In fact, we have tried nine times to get those paychecks moving, both a full-year CR, which Republicans have blocked multiple times now, and after those were rejected, targeted efforts such as the repeated attempts we have made to try and pay TSA workers.

The only reason these workers are going without pay right now is because Republicans are holding their funding hostage so they can try to give ICE even more money, without including any necessary reforms.

That is what the bill Republicans have once again teed up for a vote would do. So Republicans are saying: We will not let you give TSA or other important Agencies a single dollar unless you let us shell out billions of dollars to ICE and Border Patrol, which are already sitting on billions of dollars. Think about how absurd that is.

Republicans won't let us give more funding to TSA, which can't pay its employees right now, unless they can give more money to ICE and Border Patrol, even when Republicans know ICE officers are still getting paychecks because Republicans know Border Patrol agents are getting paychecks.

They know they already shoveled billions of dollars at these Agencies in their ``Big Ugly Bill.'' Secretary Noem went out and blew hundreds of millions of dollars to cut ridiculous ads and plaster her face all over TV. She blew hundreds of millions on new private jets. ICE wasted millions on souped-up SUVs with flashy paint jobs, and they can't even use them.

So what ICE and Border Patrol need is not more money, what they need is accountability. Democrats have been very clear what we are asking for here since late January, and our asks have not changed. We are talking about incredibly basic, necessary reforms. Taking off masks, requiring body cameras and IDs is not some extreme thing. Requiring judicial warrants is not some extreme thing.

It actually is the same procedure the local police use, and we need these reforms because they directly respond to the abuses that have been happening.

With warrants you won't have a random American citizen getting dragged out of their car on their way to a doctor's appointment. With warrants, you don't have so much profiling where ICE and Border Patrol haul the same American citizen away from his worksite twice, not charged with a crime, not part of a targeted action, just hauled away by masked thugs.

With warrants, you don't have so many cases of mistaken identity where ICE drags a man out of his house in his underwear and even refuses to look at his ID. Now, the DHS Secretary nominee just this week said they would use them. That is a welcome surprise, but we need to see that in legislative text now.

And let's talk about why it is important to have ICE follow the same basic use of force standards as our local police.

If Federal agents were following proper use of force, maybe families on the way back home from a basketball game wouldn't get tear gassed and parents wouldn't have to bring their baby to the hospital when they stop breathing.

If Federal agents were following proper use of force, maybe citizens like Marimar Martinez and Carlos Jimenez would never have been shot by Federal agents, and maybe citizens like Ruben Ray Martinez, Renee Good, and Alex Pretti would still be alive.

There is a reason we have been demanding Republicans work with us to rein in ICE and Border Patrol. Have Republicans looked around? They gave ICE and Border Patrol unprecedented sums of money, and then Donald Trump and Stephen Miller turned them into rogue Agencies.

Republicans don't want to talk about that. They don't want to even address that. But the American people have had enough of this rogue Agency. We need to rein it in, and we are negotiating right now over how to do that. But it is clear it is going to take more time to get there, and we need the White House and we need Republicans to finally address these key reforms.

But there is no reason to make TSA wait for their paychecks. Absolutely none. Democrats are eager to break the logjam and fund Agencies like the TSA and Coast Guard and FEMA and CISA. The offer to fund these while we keep negotiating stands.

I am even ready to make it happen on a temporary basis while we continue working on reforming ICE and Border Patrol if that is what is needed, but so far, Republicans have responded to that offer with the same message they are going to send today. Republicans are saying: No, we will not give you any TSA funding, none, unless you shove billions of dollars at an Agency that we already gave billions of dollars to.

``No,'' they are saying. ``We will not let you send out TSA paychecks unless we can give a blank check to ICE,'' which is already sending out paychecks.

Well, let me be clear: We are not going to give Stephen Miller a blank check, as this bill would do. I am not going to stand by and let Republicans shovel more money at a rogue Agency without having real change in legislative text.

Americans are demanding serious reforms, and we are putting our foot down. So I will be voting no, and I urge my colleagues to join me as well.

Now, I will say we had an effective meeting this week with the White House and some of our Republican colleagues, but the basic challenges remain: The White House and Republicans need to work with us to address these key reforms. To that end, my colleagues and I remain focused on the White House's coming forward with a proposal that really addresses the major concerns I have outlined here today.
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