Sen. Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement after voting against the federal funding bill on January 30.
I could not, in good conscience, vote for the federal funding deal that the Senate passed today.
The overwhelming majority of the American people are justifiably outraged by ICE murdering United States citizens in cold blood, terrorizing communities throughout the country and rounding up little kids and throwing them in detention centers. That is not what happens in a democracy. That is what takes place in authoritarian regimes.
I promised the people of Vermont that I would not support another penny for ICE unless there were fundamental reforms to how that agency operates, and tonight I kept my word.
While I voted against this bill because of the disastrous situation with ICE, it does include a number of important provisions that I successfully fought for.
As the Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in the Senate, I am proud that this legislation includes the largest increase in mandatory funding for community health centers in a decade, begins to address the massive shortage of doctors in America, takes on the greed of Pharmacy Benefit Managers, makes it easier for the American people to receive low-cost generic drugs and expands pediatric cancer research.
