NEWS: Sanders Secures Vote on His Amendment to Cut $75 Billion in ICE Funding and Redirect Those Funds to Medicaid

[Donkees]

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today secured a Senate vote on his amendment to the government funding package to repeal the $75 billion funding increase for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — originally included in Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB). The amendment would use those savings to reverse Medicaid cuts in the OBBB, preventing 700,000 Americans from losing their health care.

“As we speak, ICE agents are shooting American citizens in cold blood, breaking down doors to arrest people, and sending 5-year-olds to detention centers, all in clear violation of our Constitution,” Sanders said. “Instead of funding Trump’s domestic army, we should instead use that money to prevent hundreds of thousands of Americans from losing the health care they desperately need by investing in Medicaid. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense amendment and stand up for the rights and dignity of all Americans.”

https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-secures-vote-on-his-amendment-to-cut-75-billion-in-ice-funding-and-redirect-those-funds-to-medicaid/

[FakeNoose]

1. Awesome! Thank you Senator Sanders!

[liberalla]

2. BRAVO BERNIE!!! BRILLIANT!!!

That is sooooo fantastic!!!

I love it!!!

And THANK YOU!!!

[TheRickles]

3. Great news, but it's surprising that the R's haven't found a way to derail this.

Table it, send it back to Committee, etc. So maybe there's hidden R support that's allowing this to move forward to a vote. That'd be awesome....

[ShazzieB]

28. Hidden R support is definitely what I suspect.

As much as I would prefer open, direct R opposition to Schlump, I'll take any kind of support available.

[paleotn]

4. Outstanding!

That's what happens when the baddies go several "bridges too far" Or a better metaphor for this time of year, "get waaaay out in front of their skis." They inevitably do something horrifically stupid, and end up getting rolled up. Pukes are back on their heels right now in an indefensible position. Keep rolling them up! Wonderful job, Bernie!

Who said American public opinion didn't matter anymore.

[UTUSN]

5. K&R

[Dave Bowman]

6. One of the few politicians that I still respect and like.

[Wiz Imp]

7. Why doesn't he mention it was rejected?

vote was 49-51. All Democrats voted for it but only Collins and Murkowski voted for it among Republicans.

https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1192/vote_119_2_00018.htm

[popsdenver]

8. It is confusing to me

so it must have required more than a simple majority to win the amendment???????

[Wiz Imp]

9. They didn't get a majority

They only got 49 votes for the amendment - all 47 Democrats + Collins & Murkowski.

[Dave says]

10. F'k!!!

So sad. Any idea what we, Democrats, do next?

[AZ8theist]

25. Vote in the midterms like your life depended on it. Because it does.

It's our only avenue at this point.

[betsuni]

13. Thank you. Not enough votes, Democrats can't pass it. Nothing to do with not "fighting" hard enough.

(And why people love to mock "strongly worded letters" or strongly worded statements I do not know.)

[W_HAMILTON]

22. How many Greens voted for it?

None, you say?

But all Democrats voted for it?

And damn near every single Republican voted against it?

Boy, it sure seems like how we vote actually *IS* every bit as damn important as that we vote!

[betsuni]

32. All Democrats voted for it? What happened to the both-sides-corrupted-by-oligarchs-and-billionaires thing?

Did they forget?

[synni]

27. I'm sure he did this to force the Republicans to go on record for rejecting it

He most likely knew that it wouldn't pass. But now the Democrats running against these Republicans can use this in their campaigns.

[Timeflyer]

11. Bernie!

[Donkees]

12. Sanders Statement after Voting Against Federal Funding Bill

[EuterpeThelo]

14. You would think

that some of these idjuts like Louisiana's Cassidy, who likes to brag about his medical chops, would take the opportunity to vote yes for this and restore healthcare to his constituents (some of the poorest in the country), especially after the embarrassment he should have for voting to confirm RFK Jr. (I HATE calling him that, as the REAL RFK is one of my heroes!).

[Clouds Passing]

15. Thank you Bernie 🩵

[pinkstarburst]

16. Thank you, Bernie Sanders

[Donkees]

18. The amendment which failed 49-51 is one of seven Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) agreed to *allow* votes on

Votes scheduled: The Senate will now proceed to up to 8 roll call votes in relation to the following in relation to Cal. #302, H.R.7148, Appropriations Minibus (DOD, FSGG, LHHS, T-HUD, Homeland Security, SFOPS):
1. Paul amendment #4272
2. Schmitt amendment #4241
3. Lee amendment #4236
4. Lee amendment #4234
5. Lee amendment #4286
6. Sanders amendment #4290 (60-vote affirmative threshold)
7. Merkley amendment #4287
8. Passage of Cal. #302, H.R.7148, Appropriations Minibus (DOD, FSGG, LHHS, T-HUD, Homeland Security, SFOPS), as amended. (60-vote affirmative threshold)

[Gary 50]

19. Cut the crap!

By secured the vote I'm sure that means he was able to get it to floor for a vote. It doesn't mean it was passed. Bernie doesn't do shameless self -promotion.

[Emile]

20. Exactly +1

[Boo1]

21. How is this not that?

An amendment that was doomed from the start. Thune allowed it because he knew he had the votes to defeat it, and if it had got through it would have died somewhere else.

Then Bernie posts a huge thing about what a win it was to get it voted on?

Absolutely meaningless. Everybody here talks about wanting "fighters" and pointing to people who never have in their career gotten anything actually done. Fighting is bullshit if you don't have a plan to actually win the fight.

[pwb]

26. Doomed to fail you say?

And you are one of us eh?

The point of the O P was that he got a puke committee to even vote on it.

[Boo1]

34. Great

And?

[pwb]

35. And you claim to be a Democrat yet

this post of yours tries to divide us? IMO.

[Scrivener7]

31. Are we talking about it right now? And some people will think, "Hell yeah. That ICE money

could have gone to Medicaid and to keeping my ACA premiums down!"

The act of bringing the vote puts it into a perspective most people have not been talking about till now.

And that's a win in itself.

Some battles are not winnable, but still worth fighting.

And what's the downside?

[aocommunalpunch]

24. Joined today?

Enjoy your stay.

[pat_k]

29. The vote provided a concrete action for constituents lobby for

I have no doubt that Senate Republicans were hammered in a way rarely experienced. Everything that sparks serious citizen pushback is worthwhile. There is a cumulative effect. Sure, they can stick their fingers in their ears while singing "la la la," but they know what the growing number of mobilized, angry, constituents hellbent on seeing them go down in defeat can accomplish.

It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.
Mahatma Gandhi

[Doodley]

30. Fantastic Bernie Sanders does what no Democrat or Republican did.

[sunflowerseed]

33. Awesome!