Greetings,
We hope you have had a great week! It was a busy legislative week in Washington as we continue to focus on and prioritize delivering for Americans and democracy around the world over partisan politics. Tomorrow, we are excited to ring in the Lunar New Year and celebrate the Year of the Dragon! For everyone gathering to celebrate, we wish you a peaceful and joyous time with loved ones.
As always, we hope you find these updates and resources helpful.
Congressman Kim’s Statement Against the Hyperpartisan Attempt to Impeach Secretary
On Tuesday, Congressman Kim voted against the impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas led by House Republicans.
Congressman Kim released the following statement against the impeachment attempt:
"The vote to impeach Secretary Mayorkas was a purely partisan Republican political stunt and had nothing to do with any desire to find solutions to our broken immigration system.
"We need a serious, bipartisan effort to address the challenges at our border while providing improved paths for legal immigration and those seeking asylum. Instead, Republicans forced this unserious vote that accomplished nothing, failed, and left us back at square one. This is partisan politics at its worst, and Americans are sick and tired of partisanship that doesn’t fix our very real immigration problems."
Congressman Kim’s Statement on the Stand-Alone Israel Supplemental Bill
Also on Tuesday, Congressman Kim voted on stand-alone Israel legislation and released the following statement:
"Speaker Johnson’s political act to put forward a stand-alone vote on Israel funding while ignoring the vital need for U.S. support in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific severely weakens American global leadership. I’ve said many times that partisan politics has no place in discussions about our national security. Unfortunately, Republican leadership decided to act with the 2024 campaign in mind rather than American national security interests.
"We need support for Ukraine, investments that will decrease tensions in the Indo-Pacific, and support that can bring security and stability for Israel and Palestinian civilians who are in dire need of humanitarian aid. A comprehensive approach across all of these major challenges will ensure America maintains a strong international coalition that uses diplomacy and deterrence to build durable peace. Unfortunately, if this stand-alone bill actually passed into law, it would essentially signify the full abandonment of Ukraine by the U.S. and I refuse to go along with Speaker Johnson’s dangerous political game."
Congressman Kim Addresses Senate Republicans Efforts to Block Immigration Action
Senate negotiations led to a bipartisan agreement on a legislative package addressing border security and foreign aid. On Wednesday, Senate Republicans blocked this legislation from moving forward.
Congressman Kim released the following statement addressing Senate Republican efforts to block immigration action:
“Today's actions by Senate Republicans to block debate on a national security and border supplemental proves something we already knew: it’s that Republican leaders have no interest in actually solving anything because immigration is such a powerful political weapon for them to sow fear in pursuit of power.
“Despite Republican actions, we have learned valuable lessons on how to proceed to address immigration in a more comprehensive way. In the future, we should engage on immigration on its own terms and not wrap it into Ukraine and foreign policy issues. Our border policies and immigrant communities are not leverage for another means.
“As the son of immigrants, I know firsthand how important it is that America remain a beacon of hope, land of opportunity, and powerful symbol of democracy to millions of people all over the world. To do so, we need a serious and more expansive effort to address the challenges at our border that also provides improved pathways for legal immigration for asylum seekers, an extension of TPS and DED, as well as a clear pathway to citizenship for DREAMers. I voted for the DREAM Act to create that pathway and supported other important immigration legislation.
“Democrats also must be mindful that as we respond to concerns about the border, we do it in a way that doesn’t adopt the language of Trump and doesn’t open the door for his cruel policies to be implemented. I voted numerous times against Trump’s border wall and inhumane policies of family separation, and there is real fear that these actions could return. Everyone wants a more orderly process in managing our borders and our immigration process. Let us focus on addressing the massive backlog of 3 million plus pending immigration cases and the need to significantly increase the paltry number of immigration judges that we have. These are tangible steps we can take without jeopardizing our asylum process. I’m ready to work to find real solutions that are true to our nation’s values.”
Celebrating the Promise and Progress of the Child Tax Credit
Last week, Congressman Kim helped pass legislation that would lift 400,000 kids out of poverty with the Child Tax Credit. Congressman Kim has fought hard to expand the Child Tax Credit for working families, was proud to vote to expand it, and will keep working to make sure it's there to deliver for New Jersey. This legislation and the expanded Child Tax Credit would specifically benefit 323,000 kids in New Jersey in just one year, including 17,000 in New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District alone!
We urge the Senate to pass this essential legislation quickly so it can go to the President’s desk for his signature.
Department of Defense Reduced On-Base Childcare Fees for Military Families
Since coming to Congress, Congressman Kim has worked hard to reduce costs and increase access to childcare for our local servicemembers. We were excited to share the great news that the Department of Defense has taken steps to support military families with more affordable childcare and reduced on-base childcare fees!
Starting off 2024 with Casework Success!
We were proud to share that our casework team is starting 2024 off strong with direct assistance to our local communities. In January, our team closed 462 cases and returned $932,529 to our Burlington, Monmouth, and Mercer communities! We're focused on this assistance all-year round. Please reach out if you need help at kim.house.gov/contact
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