The Arab American Civic Council applauds Representative Judy Chu (CA-27) and Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) for introducing companion bills in the House and Senate to block the implementation of President Trump’s executive order blocking travel from five majority Muslim countries. The bills, H.R. 810 and S. 246, would prohibit the use of any funds or fees to implement Executive Order 13780, signed on March 6, 2017.
In January 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order that banned foreign nationals from seven predominantly Muslim countries, which affected tens of thousands of refugees, immigrants and vulnerable communities. The third iteration of the order was upheld by the Supreme Court last July after federal judges blocked the first two versions.
In a statement released on January 29, Rep. Chu said,
I will never forget the chaos and pain created by the first Muslim Ban. Nor will I forget the crowds of lawyers and families who came to protest at airports. The Muslim Ban – now in its third iteration, but wrong in any form – is just one of the weapons Donald Trump is using to foment xenophobia and bigotry and drive wedges in our communities. It is simply unamerican. We do not create policies based on religious animus and we do not target people because of who they worship. That is bigotry at its worst, and it is part of the reason we have seen an increase in hate crimes and violence since Trump started his campaign. And that is why Sen. Murphy and I are reintroducing our bill to block any federal funds from going towards the implementation of the Muslim Ban. The founders intended Congress to be a check on the whims of the President. And with this bill, we are reclaiming that role. We are standing up to say that xenophobia and bigotry have no place in our country. That everybody is welcome, regardless of their religion. And that we will not allow one dollar to be spent on bad policies meant only to divide us. We are stronger together, and together, we will put an end to this hateful Muslim Ban.
In the Senate, the bill is cosponsored by: Sens. Dianne Feinstein (CA), Patty Murray (WA), Kamala Harris (CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Mazie Hirono (HI), Ed Markey (MA), Chris Coons (DE), Elizabeth Warren (MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), Dick Durbin (IL), Chris Van Hollen (MD), Tammy Duckworth (IL), Tom Carper (DE), Tom Udall (NM), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Richard Blumenthal (CT), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Michael Bennet (CO), Ben Cardin (MD), Jeff Merkley (OR), Cory Booker (NJ), Jack Reed (RI), Ron Wyden (OR), Bernie Sanders (VT), Sherrod Brown (OH), Amy Klobuchar (MN), and Maggie Hassan (NH).
The 48 House cosponsors are: Reps. Gwen Moore (WI-04), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Don Beyer (VA-08), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Yvette Clark (NY-09), Gregory Meeks (NY-05), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Eric Swalwell (CA-15), Gerald E. Connolly (VA-11), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Jerry Nadler (NY-10), Grace Meng (NY-06), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Juan Vargas (CA-51), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Mark Takano (CA-41), Peter Welch (VT), Deb Haaland (NM-01), Grace Napolitano (CA-32), Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-3), Chuy Garcia (IL-04), Brian Higgins (NY-26), David Trone (MD-06), Gilbert R. Cisneros Jr. (CA-39), Zoe Lofgren (CA-19), Elijah Cummings (MD-07), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Adam Smith (WA-09), Joseph P. Kennedy III (MA-4), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Andy Levin (MI-09), Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26), Henry Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), Andre Carson (IN-07) Jim Cooper (TN-05), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Diana DeGette (CO-1), Anna Eshoo (CA-18), John Lewis (GA-05), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Jimmy Panetta (CA-20), Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30), Norma Torres (CA-35), and Alan Lowenthal (CA-47).
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