Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) signed a discharge petition to force a vote on H.R. 7481, legislation to fund all of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) except for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The effort comes as Democrats continue to demand reforms to ICE and CBP as federal agents have arrested and killed U.S. citizens, entered homes without judicial warrants, and used excessive force against people across the country. Republicans have refused to consider these reforms, leaving DHS unfunded and forcing federal employees to work without pay while using funds from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” H.R. 1, to continue paying tens of thousands of law enforcement personnel at ICE and CBP to carry out the President’s mass-deportation agenda.
“For more than 30 days, hardworking federal employees and people who depend on them and the services they provide have suffered because congressional Republicans refuse to rein in ICE,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. “This legislation funds the agencies Americans depend on in the Department of Homeland Security while withholding additional funding from ICE and CBP until Congress addresses Americans’ legitimate concerns about the administration’s lawless actions. If Republicans are serious about supporting our civil servants rather than using them as bargaining chips, they will join us in signing this discharge petition and voting to fund these departments.”
A discharge petition is a legislative tool in the House of Representatives that allows a majority of members to force a bill to the floor for a vote by the full chamber, even if the Speaker of the House opposes it.
In February, Congresswoman Fletcher introduced the Freeze ICE Act, H.R. 7392, to stop the rapid recruitment of unvetted individuals at ICE. Earlier this month, Congresswoman Fletcher introduced an amendment to a previous DHS funding proposal to institute a hiring freeze at ICE.
