Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement after Republicans cancelled today’s scheduled Appropriations Committee markup of the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations bill. The legislation includes funding for the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which has been charged with caring for children separated from their families at the border due to President Trump’s zero tolerance policy.
“It’s disappointing to see Republicans cancel debate on this important bill at the last minute. It’s a lost opportunity to provide accountability and oversight of how federal funds are being spent to deal with the humanitarian crisis that President Trump’s family separation policy has caused. My Democratic colleagues and I had planned to introduce a number of amendments to ensure the proper care of children who are still without their parents. To stifle debate is a dereliction of our responsibilities as appropriators and jeopardizes important funding for the opioid crisis, LIHEAP, and public schools."
Pingree Active on Issue of Family Separation
This morning, Pingree joined a number of colleagues to debrief the media about their visit to detention facilities and conversations with detained asylum seekers in Texas last weekend. Pingree’s comments begin at 24 minutes, 15 seconds:
Last Friday, Pingree joined 122 colleagues in sending a letter urging an investigation into the capacity of federal agencies to reunite families who had been separated at the border. Read the letter here.
Today, Pingree is joining colleagues in sending a letter to the Office of Refugee Resettlement asking detailed questions on the agency’s care of children who had been separated from their families.
