Courtney Bourgoin, courtney.bourgoin@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC— Today, the Senate Committee on Appropriations passed the Homeland Security Appropriations Act—a budget that include $5 billion more for border walls, funding for 6,800 more immigration detention beds and 119 new border patrol agents. See the full budget proposal here.
The funding for new walls comes in addition to the $3.6 billion Trump has already taken from the military budget to build more walls on the Southern border. Trump declared a national emergency in February to move Pentagon funds for new walls, and the move is being challenged by the Sierra Club, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Southern Borders Communities Coalition (SBCC) in court.
In response to the vote, Jordan Giaconia, Associate Director for Legislative Advocacy at the Sierra Club, released the following statement:
“The Senate Republican’s Homeland Security budget proposal is disgraceful, and ironically comes right after the chamber voted to shut down Trump’s fake emergency — meaning this comes in full recognition of Trump’s lies about the US-Mexico border.
“This bill would hand the Trump administration a huge bonus check for more destructive border walls and a continuation of its cruel treatment of migrants. Trump has already stolen billions of dollars from the military for border wall projects, and now the Senate is seeking $5 billion more of taxpayer money for this disastrous, cruel agenda. This Homeland Security budget is a vehicle to inflict more injustices on border communities and the destruction of our environment.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.