2 Democrats just became Donald Trump’s newest cheerleaders by quietly voting to pump $10 billion into ICE

Long Island’s two House Democrats have defied their party leadership, voting to back a massive GOP-led spending bill that pours approximately $10 billion directly into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Representatives Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi, both proudly describing themselves as “moderate” Democrats, joined their Republican colleagues on Thursday to pass the $64.4 billion funding package for the Department of Homeland Security.

The bill passed the House with a vote of 220-207, thanks in part to the votes of Gillen and Suozzi, alongside five other Democrats. While this kind of cross-aisle cooperation is usually celebrated, The New York Post reported that this time it sparked serious outrage from the left, with many progressives publicly demanding that the two be challenged in their upcoming primary races.

Progressives, including New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and congressional candidate Saikat Chakrabarti, were quick to blast the decision, arguing there is absolutely no excuse for the rogue votes. Critics of the measure claimed that the funding package essentially hands a “blank check” to ICE without including any meaningful accountability. This loss is just another hit in the Democrats’ attempts to contain the administration’s bullying tendencies.

You have to wonder what their reasoning is, to go against their party so strongly

Despite the criticism, Gillen and Suozzi aren’t backing down. Gillen released a statement saying she fully supports “funding our immigration enforcement and the commonsense guardrails that have been included in this package.” She added that she was “shocked my colleagues would vote to cut off national and community security funding while leaving ICE to operate under the status quo,” she said. 

Representative Suozzi echoed the sentiment, admitting that “there is no question ICE has overstepped its bounds.” However, he insisted that the bill’s passage is necessary because it “ensures continuity for the critical agencies that keep our country safe and functioning.” It does bring up the question of how ICE will keep the country safe and functioning when the department doesn’t have any clear operating procedures for dealing with the public.

It seems the pair are trying to position themselves squarely in the middle, but Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a prominent local Republican from their constituency, wasn’t impressed by their sudden shift toward bipartisanship. Blakeman’s spokesperson, Chris Boyle, accused the representatives of trying to “rebrand themselves ‘moderates’ and ‘run for cover’ against the tide of socialist extremists who have taken over their political party.”

The bill now moves to the Senate, where it’s expected to face a significant hurdle from upper-chamber Democrats. If it passes the Senate, it will head to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law. If successful, the measure would provide funding through September 30.