Even before the polls opened on Election Day, Democrats were gearing up to launch a two-year inquisition of the Trump administration and their efforts to enforce the nation’s immigration law.
On November 1, the ranking members of the three House committees (Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Oversight & Government Reform) fired off a letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis expressing their opposition to deployment of U.S. troops to the border and demanding details about its length and cost, as well as what the rules of engagement would be.
They left little question that the inquiry was about settling scores, not setting good border security policy.
“This effort is nothing short of a militarization of the southern border to score political points and stoke misleading fears among Americans regarding immigrants,” they wrote, adding that the deployment “is another example of the President using fear-mongering tactics over a humanitarian issue. This use of military personnel and resources for functions outside of core mission areas warrants additional Congressional oversight.”
Weeks later, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who will chair the House Judiciary Committee in the next Congress, opened up another investigatory avenue with a litany of questions for the heads of various agencies involved with the Administration’s so-called “zero tolerance” policy.
Among the issues addressed were the DNA tests used by Health and Human Services (HHS) to determine whether children were related to adult migrants and how many children were separated from their parents after being detained for illegally entering the U.S. Despite the fact he will not take the gavel until 2019, Nadler wants answers by the end of 2018.
And in an interview published today in The Washington Post, incoming chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) outlined his plans to aggressively push back on the Administration’s policies.
“We will hold hearings in committee on any and all aspects of DHS. … We will not back off of this issue,” boasted Thompson, who also plans to investigate the tear-gassing of migrants over the weekend in response to violence against border agents. He did not indicate an examination of the Obama administration using pepper spray and tear gas on multiple occasions.
Thompson even indicated there may be a willingness among Democrats to use the appropriations process and funding measures to as the means to achieve their ends.
“As far as I’m concerned, no option is off the table,” Thompson said before noting that each committee “has responsibilities, and we have to carry them out.”
Nadler and Thompson came into the House in 1992 and 1993 respectively and have stood in the way of efforts to enforce U.S. immigration law ever since. It is no surprise to learn they’d rather use their gavels to bash the Trump administration rather than to bring order to a chaotic immigration system.
8 Comments
The House is nothing nut a bunch of sniveling jerks. They can ask all the questions they want, but with Republicans in control of the Senate and White House their abilities are limited. Hopefully, the President is not sitting idle and is planning a full scale counter assault, using all his power. Democrats will have to learn the hard way that the 2018 election did not return control of the government to them.
We the people should have a say about immigration since it is our taxes that are being used. We have lost enough with the democrate s stealing it for their agendas. We do not want MS13 members in our country. Before you decide what is good ft or the country try asking the people. California is a sad state.. Most of the people left the State. The sanctuary cities are causing what is wrong with our country. If people want to be American the do it the correct way. Terrkrests are lying and demanding they come into our country. They denied the offer of nibs by Mexico. No more, enough is enough. For every death by an illegal Will call on you for not protecting the American people. WE COME FIRST. It is our Country
AGREE! AGREE! AGREE! WHY SHOULD THE DEMOCRATS HOLD AMERICA HOSTAGE??? PLAIN OLD COMON SENSE SHOULD WIN!!! BUILD THAT WALL!!! ONE THIRD OF CARAVAN IS SICK WITH DISEASE!! AND CRIMINALS!!!
Shut down the government. It doesn’t matter to most of as their is generally no effect to individuals. A few welfare checks might arrive late but what the heck.
I am in favor of doing whatever it takes to stop the impending invasion and future invasions. These liberals also must be stopped and proven wrong.
Shut the Government Down Mr. President and while your at it, Destroy the Democratic Party.
What “core mission areas” would they be referring to? Afghanistan? Iraq? Apparently anywhere but where they would actually be doing what the main function of any nation’s army should be, that is protecting our border. How many times do it have to be said. Democrats want open borders. They will deny it forever but let’s hear how what they propose is any different from open borders. The result is exactly the same.
This just goes to show that the Democratic Party is only interested in what’s best for the Party before the People as Obama stated it to be. In other words the ego of the Party is more important than the needs of We The People.
Build the WALL or Face a Government Shutdown Dec 7
The clock is ticking fast.