Rep. Watson Coleman Statement on the Passage of Omnibus Spending Package
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) released the following statement after voting against the Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) omnibus spending bill:
“Congress has passed the buck on immigration time and again, even as this administration has taken continuous, aggressive and harmful action against hundreds of thousands of immigrants, including Dreamers who’ve known no other country than this one. I made a commitment that I would not support a funding package until we addressed the glaring shortcomings in our immigration system and provided permanent protections for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. I’ve stayed true to that commitment today.
“The final spending package included a number of investments that will directly benefit our communities and that I support wholeheartedly. But it also had enduring flaws, including the continued funding of military activities without any new authorization for use of military force — essentially funding war with no focus, direction, or end. Most importantly, with the passage of this omnibus Congress loses vital momentum and most of its incentive to provide a permanent solution for Dreamers and to fix the gaping holes in our immigration law. Acknowledging this serious dilemma, I could not support it.”
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