Dear editor:

Congressional Republicans constantly refuse to fund TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard and so on. Why?

This issue began when Democratic legislators paused DHS funding to reform ICE’s brutal tactics and un-American policies. Many justified ICE’s oppressive, violent, tyrant-like behavior as simply making America safe. But those methods led to citizens being wrongfully detained and needlessly or negligently killed.

While bipartisan talks decide which reforms will be enacted, Democrats also relentlessly request that DHS be funded regarding non-ICE and non-CPB agencies. Republicans continually refuse, formally and officially voting to stop that effort. Republicans seem to put politics and theatrics above public safety and individual freedom. Why?

Funding DHS without ICE remains simple to do — just do it. The hard part of ICE reforms can be worked out over many months without financial or safety concerns as Republicans already over-funded ICE in its big bill which gutted much of America’s health care and social safety nets. The Trump-Iran war of choice provides reasons to fund DHS this way. Why do the Republicans refuse?

Worse still, Trump adds that funding of DHS must include immediate national restrictions on the voter registration process affecting this November’s elections. Ongoing reports for decades show no fraud-based or immigrant-based losses, including in 2020 when Trump actually lost.

Again, why do Republicans refuse, over and over, to simply fund DHS without ICE, and without adding voter registration restrictions?

Dennis Reuter

Powell