New Democrat Coalition Weekly Wrap 3/20

Press Releases

New Dem Leadership Endorses Discharge Petition to Fund DHS, Withhold ICE and CBP Funding

New Democrat Coalition Leadership issued a statement in support of House Democratic Leadership’s discharge petition to force a floor vote on legislation to fund all of the Department of Homeland Security – including TSA, CISA, and the Coast Guard – except for ICE and CBP.

New Dem Leadership previously demanded concrete reforms to rein in and protect Americans from the out-of-control operations at ICE and CBP before voting in favor of any additional funding for these agencies.

“With this discharge petition, House Democrats are standing on the side of the American people, and against the abuses of the Trump Administration.

“The American people can no longer endure a Republican-led DHS shutdown that withholds pay from TSA agents, creates chaos at our airports, and causes costly air travel delays. They also will not tolerate the Administration’s cruel campaign in our communities, perpetrated by masked ICE and CBP agents who have threatened, beaten, and even killed American citizens in the streets.

“We are proud to support legislation that will end the chaos of the ongoing shutdown while requiring the President and Congressional Republicans to meet Democrats at the negotiating table and commit to real reform.

“Congressional Republicans must put the interests of the American people above their partisan politics, pass this legislation, and work with us to finally rein in ICE and CBP’s out-of-control assault on the American people and their fundamental freedoms.”

New on Substack

New Dems Release a New Episode of the Fly-In: DHS Shutdown, Reforming ICE, & War in Iran with Rep. Johnny Olszewski

In this episode of The Fly-In, Congressman Marc Veasey (TX-33) and guest-host Congressman Johnny Olszewski (MD-02) provide updates on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, including growing wait times at airports and impacts on TSA agents who missed their first paycheck last Friday. They also share their thoughts on Trump’s recent decision to fire former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and whether her removal will lead to real change within the Department.

The members also discuss House Democrats’ attempts to hold ICE accountable, including this week’s House Democratic discharge petition to force a floor vote on legislation to fund all of DHS except for ICE and CBP. Additionally, Rep. Olszewski describes what he learned at his recent visit to an ICE detention center in Baltimore.

For the clip of the week, the members react to a series of videos from Americans across the country –all feeling the pain of higher gas prices due to Trump’s war in Iran – and talk through the President’s failure to plan for the impact of the war.

Member Highlights

Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (MD-03) secured House passage of the Mitigation Action and Waterman Support (MAWS) Act (H.R. 4292) after the bill unanimously passed the House Natural Resources Committee in January.

Congresswoman Julie Johnson (TX-32), Vice Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee, sent a letter to Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons demanding answers and accountability following the death of her constituent, Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, in ICE custody this past weekend. The letter comes after Johnson visited ICE’s Dallas field office on Monday, where she met with officials to seek more information about the circumstances surrounding his death.

Congressman John Mannion (NY-22) announced federal funding for Onondaga County to strengthen public safety initiatives. The funding will allow the Sheriff’s Office to procure and outfit a state-of-the-art mobile command unit to enhance emergency response, strengthen interagency coordination, and improve operational effectiveness in the field.

Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04), Ranking Member on the House Intelligence Committee, led House Democrats in their annual World Wide Threats hearing. Members had the chance to question CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and FBI Director Kash Patel about domestic election security, Iran, and other national security topics.

Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08) participated in a fireside chat hosted by the National League of Cities to speak to local elected officials from across the country about her bipartisan BASICS Act (H.R. 7437), which would help local governments access more federal resources to repair and rebuild roads and bridges.

Member Legislation

Reps. McBath, Meng, Chu, Williams Lead Resolution Marking Five Years Since Atlanta Spa Shootings
Congresswomen Lucy McBath (GA-06), Grace Meng (NY-06), Judy Chu (CA-28), and Nikema Williams (GA-05) introduced a resolution (H. Res.__) commemorating the five-year remembrance of the Atlanta spa shootings. On March 16, 2021, a gunman senselessly murdered eight people, including six Asian women, and injured a ninth person at two spas and a massage parlor in Atlanta, Georgia. These shootings occurred amid an alarming surge in anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents nationwide fueled by the use of anti-Asian rhetoric that scapegoated Asian Americans for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reps. Carbajal, Bacon Reintroduce Bill to Expand Benefits for Veteran Survivors of Sexual Assault
Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA-24) introduced bipartisan legislation to expand benefits for veterans who experienced sexual trauma during their service. The Moral Injury Recognition and Restitution Act (H.R. 7976) would change the effective date of a veteran’s claim to allow veterans who experience sexual trauma during their service to receive retroactive disability benefits, starting from the date after their discharge from service rather than the claim file date.

• Print
• Email
• Tweet