1. United States
2. N.J.
3. Letter

Despite bipartisan support for a Senate-passed bill that would have restored funding for all Department of Homeland Security departments except Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and much of Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), Republicans have failed to end the longest partial government shutdown in history. They are now attempting to use budget reconciliation, a process that allows the passage of bills with a simple majority if they have a significant budgetary impact, to secure more funding for ICE and CBP as well as the illegal war in Iran. Because the budget reconciliation process requires new expenditures be offset by equivalent budget cuts, this will inevitably lead to additional cuts to essential social safety net programs like Affordable Care Act financial assistance. Some hardliners are also aiming to use this next reconciliation bill to force through voter suppression legislation, although this attempt is unlikely to succeed due to parliamentarian rules. As midterms approach, constituents must condemn further cuts to essential services, including healthcare programs, to finance Trump’s racist, imperialist agenda at home and abroad. Instead of playing political games to appease the wishes of a dictator, Congress must focus on reining in the harms caused by Republican policies, from skyrocketing healthcare and fuel costs to horrific human rights abuses perpetrated by ICE & CBP.