John,
Over the past year since Donald Trump’s inauguration, I have been deeply engaged with thousands of constituents on the many ways his administration has damaged critical public services and institutions, including DOGE’s butchery of essential programs, attacks on health care, Social Security, and civil rights, the dismantling of the EPA and the Department of Education, and indiscriminate tariffs that have driven up the cost of housing, groceries, and transportation, to name just a few.
Throughout the year, however, one issue has understandably risen above the rest: the dangerous expansion and use of a massive domestic federal armed force under the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security, deployed to meet deportation quotas regardless of whether individuals are United States citizens, documented immigrants with no criminal history, or even minor children.
As you know, the deployment of 3,500 DHS agents in Minneapolis over the last month has wreaked havoc and shocked the nation, including the violent killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. As my former House colleague Governor Tim Walz has stated, the ICE incursion in Minnesota represents a true “inflection point” for our country. The refusal of President Trump, Secretary Kristi Noem, and Stephen Miller to take responsibility for this reckless policy, choosing instead to engage in vile character assassination of the victims, has triggered backlash even among many Trump supporters.
I want to share some of the actions I have taken over the past several months, including votes dating back to last June’s passage of H.R. 1, which turbocharged DHS’s excesses. Following Renee Good’s tragic death, I called for Secretary Noem’s firing. Last week, I joined the rest of Connecticut’s House delegation in voting against H.R. 7147, the Fiscal Year 2026 DHS Appropriations bill. That legislation could have meaningfully curbed DHS abuses by leveraging the power of the purse. Instead, House Republicans insisted on passing a rubber stamp budget that simply perpetuates the status quo.
This past Friday, I added my name to Congresswoman Robin Kelly’s impeachment resolution seeking the removal of Secretary Noem. I did not make this decision lightly, particularly given Republican control of the House. However, the revelation that DHS has been using so-called “administrative warrants” to authorize agents to enter private homes without judicial approval represents, to me, a profound dereliction of duty. The Constitution explicitly protects all of us from such sweeping home invasions, and these administrative warrants are both legally bogus and deeply dangerous.
On Saturday, the violent death of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at the VA with a spotless record, followed by Secretary Noem’s continued gaslighting before any investigation had concluded, was yet another example of her unfitness to hold that office.
It is also important to emphasize that the escalation of ICE and Border Patrol malfeasance was fueled by the passage of H.R. 1 last June. That bill contained many loathsome provisions, including a trillion dollar cut to Medicaid, permanent tax giveaways to billionaires, and a massive increase in the national debt. It also included 75 billion dollars in special funding for ICE and DHS above and beyond their regular appropriations. That sum, which has driven unprecedented hiring, actually exceeds the personnel budget of the United States Marine Corps. I proudly voted against that “Ugly Bill” and held numerous town halls and roundtables across the Second District to hear directly from thousands of concerned constituents.
As we head into one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime, the grave consequences of the Trump agenda should motivate us to change control of Congress to protect the public welfare and the precious liberties we hold so dear.
Sincerely,
Joe Courtney
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