Correspondence
Thompson and McCaul Lead Bipartisan Letter to Support Grant Funding to Protect Religious Institutions After Tree of Life Attack
(WASHINGTON) - Reps. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) and Michael T. McCaul (R-TX), Ranking Member and Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, led a bipartisan group of 139 Members in a letter to House and Senate Appropriators to urge them to support funding the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) at $60 million for Fiscal Year 2019. The domestic terrorist attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh last month underscores that places of worship - nonprofit institutions - are … Continue Reading
November 05, 2018
Top Dems Renew Request for Docs on Harassment and Bullying Allegations at Coast Guard Academy
(WASHINGTON) - Reps. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Bennie G. Thompson, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, and Joe Courtney sent a letter on Friday to the U.S. Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral Karl L. Schultz, renewing their request from earlier this year for “all documents” pertaining to “allegations of harassment or bullying made by any student or faculty member at the Academy during the past three years, … Continue Reading
November 02, 2018
House Democrats Demand Answers on Trump Border Deployment
(WASHINGTON) - Today, House Armed Services Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA), House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), House Oversight & Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), and 104 other House Democrats sent a letter calling on Secretary Mattis to provide answers about his deployment of 5,200 additional U.S. troops to the border, including how much the … Continue Reading
October 12, 2018
Harris, Thompson, Nadler, Lofgren, Beatty Lead Lawmakers in Letter to Urge Administration to Halt Deportation of Black Mauritanians
(WASHINGTON) - Today, U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) and Representatives Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), and Joyce Beatty (D-OH) led a group of lawmakers in a bicameral letter calling on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to cease the deportation of Black Mauritanian nationals, who face the threat of race-based discrimination, violence, or slavery if forced to return to Mauritania. “Most … Continue Reading
September 07, 2018
Leading Democrats Call for Investigation into Trump Administration Subpoenas of North Carolina Voter Information
(WASHINGTON) - In a letter today, top Democrats voiced strong concerns about the scope of recent Trump Administration subpoenas demanding millions of North Carolina voter records and called for an investigation into the legality and political motivation behind this unprecedented request for private voter information. The letter, from Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Robert A. Brady (D-Pa.), Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), … Continue Reading
September 06, 2018
Thompson, Vela Inquire on U.S. Citizen Passport Denials Along Border
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Filemon Vela (D-TX), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on news reports of a surge in passport denials by the Department of State to United States citizens born along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Ranking Members also express their concern … Continue Reading
August 31, 2018
Thompson, Velázquez Urge FEMA to Extend Funding for Hurricane Maria Cleanup in Puerto Rico
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) sent letters to President Trump and to the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in support of Governor Ricardo Rosselló’s appeal of FEMA’s August 15 denial of a request to extend 100 percent Federal funding for debris removal and emergency protective measures in Puerto Rico. In the letter, the Members write: Over … Continue Reading
August 20, 2018
Thompson, Watson Coleman, Demings Call for Investigation Into Reports Federal Air Marshals Were Directed to Racially Discriminate
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, along with Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), and Rep. Val Demings (D-FL), announced they have requested the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General commence an investigation into news reports that former Federal Air Marshals alleged that a supervisor in Orlando, Florida directed them to target African American travelers for unwarranted scrutiny. Reportedly, the … Continue Reading
July 31, 2018
Thompson Writes DHS on Homeland Security Implications of 3D Printed Gun Blueprints Published Online
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on the homeland security implications of the Trump Administration allowing the online publication of blueprints for 3-D printed firearms. It is unknown if the Department of Homeland Security was involved in the decision of the Departments of State and Justice to abandon the lawsuit that would have stopped publication. The … Continue Reading
July 31, 2018
Thompson, Watson Coleman Inquire on Air Marshal Intelligence Program
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Protective Security, sent a letter to the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regarding news articles on the Federal Air Marshal Service and its practices and operations. In the letter, the Members request more information on the authorities and rules followed for … Continue Reading
July 26, 2018
Leading Democrats Call for Top Trump Administration Officials to Testify on Election Security
(WASHINGTON) - In a new letter today, top Democrats called for a joint hearing on election security to investigate the threats facing elections in 2018 and the Trump administration’s plan to secure our elections from foreign interference. The letter, from Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Robert A. Brady (D-Pa.), Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), and Homeland … Continue Reading
June 29, 2018
Ranking Members Press FEMA Administrator on Slow Hurricane Recovery Efforts in Puerto Rico
(WASHINGTON) - With the 2018 hurricane season underway and Puerto Rican families still struggling in the aftermath of Hurricanes Maria and Irma, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Financial Services, Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Small Business, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member on the House Committee on Homeland Security, and Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA), Ranking Member of the … Continue Reading
June 29, 2018
Top Dems Call for Comprehensive Review of President Trump’s Child Separation Policy by Inspectors General at DHS, HHS, and DOJ
Today, Reps. Elijah E. Cummings, Jerrold Nadler, Bennie G. Thompson, Bobby Scott, and Frank Pallone, Jr., the Ranking Members of the House Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, the Judiciary, Homeland Security, Education and the Workforce, and Energy and Commerce, sent a letter to the Inspectors General of the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services calling for a broad review of the Trump Administration’s child separation and “zero tolerance” policies. … Continue Reading
June 26, 2018
Thompson & Velázquez Lead Letter to Speaker Ryan to Urge He Place Puerto Rico Independent Commission Bill on House Floor
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Reps. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, and Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), led a group of 21 Democratic House members in writing Speaker Ryan to urge him to put legislation (H.R. 6103) on the House floor to establish an independent commission to examine the Federal preparation for and response to the 2017 hurricanes in Puerto Rico. There is historical precedent for Congress to act after a failed disaster response: in 2005, … Continue Reading
June 19, 2018
Homeland Dems to McCaul: Join Us in Calling for Trump to End Child Separation Policy
(WASHINGTON) - Today, the twelve Democratic members of the House Committee on Homeland Security, led by Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), sent a letter to Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) to urge him to call for the end of President Trump’s child separation policy. Letter excerpts: Over Father’s Day weekend, many of us visited facilities along our Nation’s southern border that are holding children separated from their parents due to the Trump Administration’s so-called … Continue Reading
June 18, 2018
Thompson Writes Nielsen on Immigrants Transferred to Federal Prisons
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to express his concern and request more information regarding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) recent transfer of 1,600 detainees to five federal prisons due to President Trump’s zero-tolerance policy. Congressman Thompson released the following statement along with the letter: “The Trump … Continue Reading
June 14, 2018
Senior Dems: FEMA Ending Power Line Work Leaves Puerto Rico Vulnerable as Hurricane Season Begins
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Energy & Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Brock Long to protest his decision to end the Army Corps of Engineers’ mission in Puerto Rico to help … Continue Reading
June 13, 2018
Members of Congress Press FEMA, HHS on Federal Government’s Failures on Puerto Rico Fatality Count Following Hurricane Maria
(WASHINGTON) - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Representative Nydia M. Velá?zquez (D-NY), and Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, led their Senate and House colleagues in a follow-up letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeking information about the federal government’s role in the official accounting of fatalities due to Hurricane Maria in … Continue Reading
June 13, 2018
Top Dems Seek Information on Reports of Inequities and Allegations of Harassment at Coast Guard Academy
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Reps. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, and Joe Courtney (D-CT), co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Coast Guard Caucus, sent a letter to Coast Guard Commandant Karl L. Schultz requesting information about how the Coast Guard will address the results of a recent institutional assessment that found troubling gaps in … Continue Reading
June 07, 2018
Jayapal, Thompson, and Lofgren Lead 108 Lawmakers Urging Appropriators to Stop DHS from Separating Families
(WASHINGTON) Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) led 108 members of Congress in urging the Subcommittee on Homeland Security on Appropriations to restrict the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to separate families at the border. The letter comes in response to the Trump administration’s cruel and inhumane policy of separating children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. “Many parents arrive at our borders with their … Continue Reading