A letter signed by 34 House Republicans was delivered to Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday that called for the cancellation of the August recess.
In the letter, the group of GOP lawmakers led by Texas Rep. Chip Roy, says that the scheduled break for lawmakers in the lower chamber would be inappropriate without first securing funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The letter says, in part, “We are united in our belief that the House of Representatives should not adjourn for August recess before providing adequate funding to our men and women of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the frontlines dealing with the ongoing humanitarian crisis on our southern border.”
The Democratic-controlled House has spent much of the year battling over legislative efforts to send money to the border, as many liberal lawmakers do not support efforts to give more funding to border control agencies. A $4.6 billion bill that originated in the Senate to provide humanitarian aid was passed in the House last month after weeks of heated debate.
The Thursday letter to Pelosi further stated, “ICE is using all the tools and resources at their disposal to house, process, and care for the hundreds of thousands of migrants crossing our southern border each month. They are overwhelmed … Leaving town for a month to campaign and parade our accomplishments in Congress is an insult to our constituents, the American people, and the migrants suffering at the hands of dangerous cartels who are abusing our immigration laws for profit.”
