Gallego Stands Up for Border Communities, Votes Against Bill that Would Slash Border Funding
WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-03) voted against H.R. 8752, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2025. Following the vote, he released this statement:
“Just like when they rejected the bipartisan border deal, this bill is proof that extremists in Congress have no interest in actually securing our border or helping border communities. It slashes funding for CBP and USCIS and provides no increase in the number of Border Patrol agents, meaning slower response times and increased backlogs. And, it completely zeros out funding to local governments and nonprofits, straining their budgets and likely leading to increased street releases.
“We need bipartisan, comprehensive solutions that secure our border and fix our broken immigration system. This bill does none of those things which is why I voted against it.”
H.R. 8752 eliminates the Shelter and Services Program (SSP) which over the last two years has provided over $86 million to Arizona border communities for migrant shelter and transportation. It also cuts funding to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) by $1.4 billion and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) by $168.7 million.
Background On Rep. Gallego’s Wins To Support Arizona’s Border Communities:
Following numerous letters urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Biden Administration to deliver Arizona’s frontline border communities essential resources to deal with the border crisis, as well as a one-on-one call with Sec. Mayorkas, Rep. Gallego announced in September that he had secured over $2 million in emergency funding from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to support Arizona’s border communities as they address an increase in migrant crossings.
After close coordination with Arizona’s non-profits, border community leaders, and law enforcement officials, Rep. Gallego rolled out his plan to institute sweeping reforms to address the problems plaguing FEMA’s failed Shelter and Services Program (SSP) that has shortchanged Arizona’s border communities on the front line of the border crisis.
In December, Rep. Gallego traveled across Arizona meeting with border community leaders. He met with local officials, farmers, and business owners in Yuma to discuss the impact the closing of the Lukeville Port of Entry had on their businesses and Arizona’s economy, and he visited Nogales, Bisbee, and Tucson to meet with local leaders, nonprofit officials, and representatives from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to discuss the impact of increased migration on Arizona’s border communities.
To stop the flow of fentanyl across the border, Rep. Gallego introduced the Buck Stops Here Act to authorize the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to designate financial institutions, transaction classes, or accounts as primary money laundering concerns in connection to illicit fentanyl trafficking. This bill was signed into law in April.
In April, Rep. Gallego announced $54,573,093 in funding from SSP to support Arizona’s border communities on the frontlines of the border crisis. Rep. Gallego helped secure $650 million in SSP funding as part of the fiscal year 2024 government funding package. He immediately called on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to swiftly disperse the funds and to prioritize Arizona border communities.
In May, Rep. Gallego introduced the Direct Hire Act and the Screening Efficiency Act, both aimed at speeding up migrant processing and providing relief to Arizona’s frontline border communities.