Watson Coleman Denounces Republicans’ “Deceitful Charade” on H.R. 5471
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, DC (June 16, 2016) — Today, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) issued the following statement after voting against H.R. 5471, an empty gesture crafted by Republicans following Sunday’s mass shooting in Orlando that repackages three bills already passed by the House and pending in the Senate, further illustrating their inability to act.
“Despite its proposal as a response to the tragedy in Orlando, H.R. 5471 would have done nothing to prevent that shooting. Even worse, it ignores threats from homegrown, domestic terrorists like the shooter who killed nine people at Mother Emanuel in Charleston, or the anti-abortion extremist who killed three in Colorado.
“Polishing up old bills, writing existing Administration policies into law, further stigmatizing Muslims, and presenting that to the American people as an answer to their concerns is a deceitful charade that ignores the full range of terrorist threats to our homeland. Despite the Republican rhetoric used on the floor today to suggest otherwise, this bill doesn’t offer a single a solution. Every American deserves better.”