Republicans Block Cortez Masto Amendment to Redirect $31 Billion in Excessive ICE Funding to Local Law Enforcement

***VIDEO AVAILABLE*** FTP for TV stations of her remarks is available here . Washington, D.C. – Tonight, during debate on the Republican funding bill that will hand another $70 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) forced a vote on her amendment that would have redirected $31 billion in ICE funding to local law enforcement. Republicans blocked the amendment from passing. “Americans don’t need thousands of federal agents terrorizing their streets. They need local police they can trust to follow the laws they’re enforcing,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “That’s why my amendment would take this excessive funding for ICE and redirect it toward the COPS Hiring Program, so we can put over 200,000 local police officers on our streets nationwide.” Cortez Masto will continue to push for her PUBLIC SAFETY Act to redirect the excessive funding passed in the Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and send it instead to local law enforcement programs. ###