Here Are All the Democrats Who Voted to Keep Funding ICE

In apparent blissful ignorance of the country’s ICE-induced bedlam, several House Democrats voted alongside nearly every Republican member to give more money to the immigration agency.

The Department of Homeland Security’s $64.4 billion bill passed Thursday by a vote of 220–207, with seven Democrats voting in its favor. They were Representatives Henry Cuellar (Texas), Tom Suozzi (New York), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Laura Gillen (New York), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Washington), Jared Golden (Maine), and Don Davis (North Carolina).

Ahead of the vote, Suozzi wrote online that while “there is no question that ICE has overstepped its bounds,” he was willing to continue feeding the agency in order to avoid a government shutdown.

“I am voting for the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill, not to expand ICE enforcement or add more agents, but to fund the core operations Americans rely on every day, FEMA disaster response, TSA security, Customs and Border Protection, the Coast Guard, passport processing, and other essential services,” Suozzi posted on X.

Suozzi also argued that the funding bill was the “product of bipartisan negotiations and responsible governing” and would provide funding for those critical agencies and services without expanding ICE’s budget.

Gillen issued a similar statement, claiming that her support was driven by advancing FEMA disaster relief. Other priorities of Gillen’s addressed in the package included efforts to stop child trafficking and the spread of fentanyl, and new support for cybersecurity and law enforcement.

“I’m shocked my colleagues would vote to cut off national and community security funding while leaving ICE to operate under the status quo,” she wrote.

The Democrats in favor of the bill tried to underscore its meager wins on reining in ICE: $20 million to outfit ICE personnel with body cameras, cuts to ICE funding for enforcement and removal operations, and a downsizing of the number of detention beds.

But the bulk of the caucus saw the funding package as a broken take on their current policy positions, chastising their colleagues for supporting the agency at a time when ICE is mass-employing undertrained personnel and giving them broad immunity to harass, intimidate, and harm American communities. A vote in favor, according to some Democrats, could bode poorly come midterms.

“You can’t out-Republican Republicans, because you’re going to lose your base and you’re not going to get any of the Republicans to come over to you,” Representative Pramila Jayapal told NBC News.

Meanwhile, one Republican voted against the measure—Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie—though his opposition did not have to do with what’s happening in Minneapolis, Chicago, or other ICE hot spots.

In a post on X, Massie argued that while he “voted for the SAVE Act and support[s] deporting illegals,” he wouldn’t approve more financial support to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which he derided as the “liberals’ favorite censorship agency.”

“I don’t support online censorship,” Massie wrote.

Instead of high-speed rail or sorely needed infrastructure overhaul, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is using his powers to try to bring IndyCar racing to the streets of downtown Washington, D.C.

Punchbowl News reported Friday that Duffy is pushing for an IndyCar race around the National Mall as a part of the America250 celebrations this upcoming August. The Supreme Court would serve as the start and end of a full lap around the mall.

“The Grand Prix is an unprecedented opportunity to celebrate our nation’s proud racing pedigree, showcase the beauty of the National Mall, and generate millions in critical tourism revenue for the capital,” a Transportation Department spokesperson said. “We’ll keep working with our partners in Congress to outline the positive impacts it will have on the District and correct the record.”

The plan would need congressional approval, since there’s a ban on advertising on Capitol grounds, and Democrats are reportedly already concerned about potential infrastructure and logistics issues an event like this could cause. And they aren’t the only skeptics.

“The IndyCar schedule has been set for months, but Duffy wants this GP in August. How does this fit in? Non-championship exhibition event like Thermal Club was in ’24?” journalist Benjamin S. Weiss commented. “Does anyone actually think a street circuit along the Mall would make for good racing?”

FBI Director Kash Patel doesn’t like to read briefings.

Forty-five current FBI employees spoke to The New York Times about the state of the bureau one year into Patel’s tenure, and his lack of interest in reading is one of the many revelations about their new director. What they had to say painted a damning picture of Patel’s leadership.

Patel made his feelings known on the written word during his first director’s call with the heads of the bureau’s field offices. On that call, according to one field office leader, Patel “had no agenda, no thoughts, no strategy or leadership philosophy or priorities to share.”

“I specifically remember him saying at one point, ‘I don’t read.’ He explained he didn’t read briefing materials,” the leader said.

This seems to fit right in with previous reporting about Patel, from his repeated use of the FBI’s private jet to see his singer girlfriend to his apparent obsession with social media. In fact, the tagline of the Times report is about how current and former FBI employees say Patel’s changes “are undermining the agency and making America less safe.”

Patel largely got the FBI job because President Trump was impressed with his desire to take revenge on Trump’s enemies. It seems that a willingness to take the job seriously and effectively run the most powerful law enforcement agency in the U.S. wasn’t a factor, nor was the desire to read important materials. That’s something that he has in common with Trump.

President Donald Trump blamed the “big aspirin” he’s taking for his enormous bruise that has suddenly switched hands.

Trump was photographed at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week with what appeared to be yet another large bruise. This time, the back of his left hand was discolored, though normally it’s his right hand that’s been bruised.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One Thursday, Trump offered an explanation for the injury.

“I clipped it on the table. So I put a little uh, what do they call it? Cream on it. But I clipped it,” Trump told reporters. “I would say, take aspirin if you like your heart, but don’t take aspirin if you don’t wanna have a little bruising. You know, if you take the big—I take the big aspirin. And when you take the big aspirin, they tell you, you bruise.

“The doctor said, ‘You don’t have to take that sir, you’re very healthy.’ I said, ‘I’m not taking any chances,’” Trump recounted.

As intent as Trump is to blame the injury on “big aspirin,” clearly he didn’t want to appear actually feeble.

But the oldest president ever elected to office has regularly been spotted with mysterious bruising on the back of his hand, giving rise to speculations about his health—including as to whether he is receiving undisclosed intravenous treatment.

The White House has dismissed concerns, citing Trump’s “frequent hand shaking and the use of aspirin”—a dubious line, given that the mark appears on the part of the hand subjected to the least, if any, pressure during a handshake.

President Trump is selling permanent membership spots on his new “Board of Peace” for $1 billion—and he won’t tell us what the money is for. 

“On the Board of Peace, some of the countries … I think the permanent members contributed a billion dollars,” a reporter asked Trump on Thursday night aboard Air Force One. “Is that money supposed to be for Gaza?” 

The “Board of Peace” was initially a post-ceasefire reconstruction plan for Gaza, hence the reporter’s question. But now it seems to have evolved into a Trump-controlled dupe of the United Nations.

“Some of the countries have already put up much more than that,” Trump responded. “Much more than that.” 

“What’s that money for?”

“That’s a lot of money, but it’s nothing compared to the value of peace,” Trump said, completely ignoring the direct question. “It’s so destructive for everybody when you have wars.” 

This is an incredibly dubious answer, especially from a president who has spent so much of his tenure personally enriching himself and his family. Is the membership fee for a chunk of real estate in Jared Kushner’s abhorrent “New Gaza” plan? Or is it going straight to Trump’s pocket via some offshore bank account based in Qatar? We may never know.