WASHINGTON DC — U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, (MI-08), today voted in support of a bipartisan spending bill to fund additional border security measures, a pay raise for federal workers, and to avert another government shutdown. Rep. Slotkin, a former Pentagon official and CIA analyst, spoke out against the President’s decision to fund a wall at the southern border.
The bill includes funding for important border security measures including:
- $1.375 billion for border barriers, the same amount provided last year
- $755 million for construction and technology at ports of entry, where most drugs enter the country illegally
- $415 million for Customs and Border Protection
- $563 million for immigration judges to reduce the backlog of cases
- $293 million to enhance port infrastructure
In addition, the spending bill provides funding for other key programs:
- A 1.9% pay raise for federal workers
- $17 billion in funding for new infrastructure investments
- $308 million for research and development at the National Science Foundation
- $1 billion increase in funding for the U.S. Census Bureau to ensure an accurate count
- $123 million in grants to combat homelessness
- $25 million for the Environmental Protection Agency
- $648 million for grant programs to address the opioid crisis
- $153 million to help communities hire more police officers
- $178 million to address sexual assault kit and other DNA evidence backlogs
“Today I voted for a bipartisan deal that funds homeland security priorities important to both parties -- and as is true of any successful negotiation, it also includes compromises on both sides,” Slotkin said. "As a former national security official, I’m glad to see this deal includes additional funding for border security, particularly for increased technology at ports of entry -- as well as funding that benefits our district, including for science and research, grants to address the opioid crisis, and new infrastructure investments.”
“With regards to the President’s decision to declare a national emergency to build a border wall: Effective leadership on tough issues doesn’t come through coercion, it comes through influence. Both sides came together in support a deal that funds billions in border security, including additional technology and physical barriers along the border. Our democratic system is one of compromise, and I have deep concerns about the President’s decision to break with historical precedent and bypass that system, and wield a national emergency declaration as a tool to make good on a political promise.”
