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DeLauro Votes Against Border Supplemental Bill

June 27, 2019

WASHINGTON, DC (June 27, 2019) – Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, today released the following after voting against the border supplemental bill.

"Today's bill did not go far enough in protecting children. Given the Trump administration's history of abuses, I could not in good conscience vote to give the Trump administration this funding because I do not trust them to properly care for the children. I fought hard for several critical protections that were included in the House-passed bill but not the Senate's, such as: ensuring every facility children stay in meet required standards of care enshrined in the Flores settlement for the first time ever; setting a 90 day limit on how long children can stay in an influx facility; requiring HHS to tell Congress if a child dies in their custody; and requiring HHS to allow Members of Congress to conduct oversight visits without advance notice."

"The mission of HHS is to care for kids and place them with sponsors safely and expeditiously, not to act as the President's immigration enforcement agency. Shame on us for not doing more to hold this Administration accountable. The Senate decided further protections for children were unimportant. The kids in our care deserve so much better, and I am not going to give up this fight. As Chair is the Appropriations Subcommittee responsible for funding HHS, I will be conducting oversight to hold this Administration accountable for how they are treating children."