Correspondence
Thompson, Vela Demand Protection of Children at the 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, announced they have transmitted three letters to the Trump Administration aimed to ensure the safety and security of children at the border. The Administration’s new “zero tolerance” policy towards border crossers will dramatically increase the number of children in the government’s … Continue Reading
April 18, 2018
Committee Leaders Urge FEMA to Extend Army Corps’ Puerto Rico Mission Until All Electric Customers Restored
(WASHINGTON) - Today, the top Democrats of four House Committees sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Brock Long requesting an extension of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) mission to restore power in Puerto Rico, which is currently scheduled to expire on May 18, 2018. The letter comes as news reports indicate an island-wide power outage hit Puerto Rico earlier today. The letter was signed by Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, … Continue Reading
April 12, 2018
House National Security Dems Demand Answers on Trump’s Border Troop Deployment
(WASHINGTON) - Seven House Democratic national security leaders sent a letter to Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and Defense Secretary James Mattis to oppose President Trump’s recent decision to deploy National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. Given the potential cost and with border crossings at a 40-year low, the Administration must provide a thorough justification and plan for any deployment of troops and use of taxpayer funds. News reports indicate the Administration is only now … Continue Reading
April 10, 2018
Top Democrats Call on Speaker Paul Ryan to Compel Trump Administration to Produce All Documents on Russian Cyberattacks Against States
(WASHINGTON) Today, Reps. Elijah E. Cummings, Jerrold Nadler, Adam Schiff, Robert Brady, Bennie G. Thompson, and Eliot Engel—the Ranking Members of the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, Judiciary, Intelligence, House Administration, Homeland Security, and Foreign Affairs—sent a letter urging House Speaker Paul Ryan to personally intervene to obtain all documents being withheld by the Trump Administration relating to Russian government-backed efforts to monitor, penetrate, or … Continue Reading
April 06, 2018
Thompson, Vela, Rice: Stop Ineffective and Discriminatory Extreme Vetting Program
(WASHINGTON) - Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, Rep. Filemon Vela (D-TX), Ranking Member of the Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee, and Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Ranking Member of the Counterterrorism and Intelligence Subcommittee, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to urge she halt Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Visa Lifecycle Vetting Initiative (VLVI), formerly referred to as the Extreme … Continue Reading
April 05, 2018
Engel, Pallone, Thompson Urge FCC to Crack-Down on Fake ‘Stingray’ Cell Towers
(WASHINGTON) - Following reports this week of possible foreign entities spying on Americans’ cellular calls, Congressman Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, today called on the FCC to crack-down on fake cell towers known as stingrays. Stingrays … Continue Reading
March 22, 2018
Thompson Requests Facebook Election Security Briefing
(WASHINGTON) - Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Co-Chair of the Congressional Task Force on Election Security, sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg to request a briefing on how Facebook is addressing known efforts to undermine or manipulate our elections. I am concerned that Facebook has not only failed to anticipate the various ways its platform and the data it collects might be misused, but also that … Continue Reading
March 20, 2018
Jayapal, Thompson, Lofgren Lead More Than 50 Members to Protect Families From Being Torn Apart at the Border
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson, Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren, and 58 members of Congress sent a letter to the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations to urge the committee to reject the separation of families at the border and instead restore funding for alternatives to detention, such as the Family Case Management Program (FCMP). “Attorneys from around the country … Continue Reading
March 20, 2018
DeFazio, Thompson, Pallone: Six Months After Hurricane Maria, Federal Recovery Still Lagging Behind
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), and Energy & Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Brock Long on the delays and challenges that continue to frustrate the federal response and recovery efforts in Puerto Rico six months after it was devastated by Hurricane … Continue Reading
March 13, 2018
Thompson & DeFazio Urge President Trump to Extend the Federal Cost Share for Debris Removal for the U.S. Virgin Islands
(WASHINGTON) Today, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) sent a letter to President Donald J. Trump urging him to extend the Federal cost share for debris removal and emergency protective measures for the U.S. Virgin Islands as a result of the damage after Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The debris build up on the U.S. Virgin Islands left by … Continue Reading
March 08, 2018
What is the Trump Administration’s Election Security Study?
(WASHINGTON) - The co-chairs of the Congressional Task Force on Election Security, Committee on Homeland Security Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson and Committee on House Administration Robert Brady, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to request more information following the President’s comments Tuesday indicating the existence of an election security study taking place at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Time is running out to secure our elections from … Continue Reading
March 06, 2018
Democrats Request Funding to Help Secure Elections From Russian Interference
(WASHINGTON) - Today, a group of House Democrats, including Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer and the Co-Chairs of the Task Force on Election Security, Reps. Robert Brady and Bennie G. Thompson, sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee to express support for the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and to request that the EAC receive $14 million so it can continue to assist states in their urgent efforts to secure voting systems in advance of the 2018 midterm elections. The members … Continue Reading
March 05, 2018
Thompson, Barragán Question Kirstjen Nielsen on Involvement in Rob Porter’s Security Clearance
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Committee Member Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA) sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen to demand answers on her involvement in Rob Porter’s security clearance controversy. Secretary Nielsen served as Deputy Chief of Staff under John Kelly during a critical time in the FBI’s investigation into Porter’s background and allegations regarding domestic violence. In her … Continue Reading
February 08, 2018
Democrats: DHS Has No Right or Reason to Separate Families
(WASHINGTON) - Today, 75 Democratic Representatives led by Reps. Lucille Roybal-Allard and Pramila Jayapal, Co-Chairs of the Women’s Working Group on Immigration Reform, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen expressing profound concern with the Department of Homeland Security's practice of separating … Continue Reading
January 26, 2018
Top Dems to AG Sessions, Secretary Nielsen: Flawed and Misleading Report is a Blatant Political Attempt to Link Immigration & Terrorism
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson, Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joseph Crowley, Oversight & Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Elijah Cummings, Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Eliot Engel, Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Adam Schiff, and Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren sent a letter to Homeland Security … Continue Reading
January 23, 2018
Thompson, Nadler, Cummings Demand Answers on the White House’s Security Clearance Process & Jared Kushner’s Interim Clearance
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson, Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler, and Oversight & Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Elijah Cummings sent a letter to White House Chief of Staff John Kelly to demand answers on how the Trump White House handles the security clearance process for its staff. Press reports revealing details of Jared Kushner’s one year old interim clearance calls the clearance adjudication process for … Continue Reading
January 23, 2018
Election Security Task Force Seeks Clarification On DHS Role in Continuing Kobach Voter Fraud Commission
(WASHINGTON) - Today, House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) and Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Robert A. Brady (D-PA), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Task Force on Election Security, wrote to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristjen Nielsen seeking clarification regarding the Department's responsibilities related to the now-defunct Presidential Commission on Election Integrity. The Commission was ostensibly established to … Continue Reading
January 18, 2018
Thompson to DHS Secretary Nielsen: Your Failure to Acknowledge or Repudiate Trump’s Racist Remarks Calls Into Question Your Ability to Lead
(WASHINGTON) - Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent the below letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen regarding her recent comments: Dear Secretary Nielsen: I read with incredulity your statement today asserting you are “thoroughly disappointed” at the attention being given to President Trump’s racist, xenophobic statements at last week’s White House meeting. The President’s defamatory words are in keeping … Continue Reading
January 09, 2018
Democratic Ranking Members Send Letter to Speaker Ryan on House Republicans’ Refusal to Fully Investigate Russia’s Threat to Our Democracy and National Security
(WASHINGTON) House Democratic Ranking Members Eliot Engel, Maxine Waters, Jerrold Nadler, Bennie Thompson, Elijah Cummings and Robert Brady sent a letter to Speaker Ryan today urging House Republicans to join Democrats to fully investigate and address Russia’s threat to our democracy and national security. This letter comes as we mark one year since the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s report confirming Russia’s meddling into the 2016 election and America’s continued … Continue Reading
January 08, 2018
Vela, Thompson, Grijalva Urge Democratic Senate Leadership to Consider Environmental Impact of Border Wall
(WASHINGTON) - Representative Filemon Vela, Ranking Member of the Border and Maritime Subcommittee, led a letter to Senate Minority Leader Schumer and Senate Minority Whip Durbin following reports of ongoing border security negotiations with the White House. The letter urges Senate leaders to consider the environmental impacts of the proposed border wall before reaching any final decision on border wall funding. The Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Representative … Continue Reading