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Dear City of,
This week, I voted no on the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill because ICE not only needs to be defunded, it needs to be dismantled. The funding was extended until next Friday, February 13, to give time to negotiate restrictions on the way ICE can operate. Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer have issued a set of demands that will need to be agreed to before Democrats will even consider supporting funding for the agency. I will review any agreement closely before I will even consider supporting it. We need to rein in the lawlessness of this Administration.
ICE already has received more than $75 billion from the Big Bad Bill Republicans passed last year. I'm working to claw back that money and put it towards lowering housing and health care costs.
I shared this goal with a group of immigration experts, advocacy groups, and shelter providers at a meeting in Denver today. They agreed we need to redirect ICE funding, impeach Secretary Kristi Noem, and protect children from this administration’s cruelty.
Also, this week, in an Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, I questioned witnesses about the administration’s approach to combatting Medicare and Medicaid fraud. I pointed to Denver, where providers—not patients—exploited Medicaid transportation, offering people cash and drugs to maximize payouts, costing taxpayers $25 million. Fraud like this is hard to stop when you force out the fighters, which is exactly what President Trump did when he illegally fired 17 inspector generals—the watchdogs who investigate fraud. I also highlighted the absurdity of investigating health care fraud when the administration’s politicized priorities are resulting in prosecutors leaving their posts. In the past few weeks, 14 federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned en masse, including the lead fraud prosecutor, rather than investigate Renee Good's widow instead of the agent who killed her.
Tonight, the Winter Olympics kick off in Italy, and Colorado has 33 athletes on Team USA—more than any other state! In a time when everything feels heavy, the Olympics remind us of what we can do when we come together. I'll be cheering on our Coloradans the whole way.
As always, if you have any questions about my work or any issue, please call my office at 303-844-4988, or visit my website at DeGette.House.Gov where you can learn more about how my staff is available to assist you.
Sincerely,
Diana DeGette
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