Majority Leader Hoyer Issues Statement on Trump Administration Diverting Disaster Relief Funds

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 -- House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, issued the following statement on the Trump administration's decision to divert disaster relief funding to fund inhumane immigration policies:

"It is outrageous that the Trump Administration is subverting Congress's constitutional power of the purse and diverting money intended for disaster relief efforts in order to expand its inhumane treatment of migrants.

"The law is clear on the circumstances under which such a reprogramming may occur, and the Administration's proposal does not meet that test.

"If ignoring a law that the President signed wasn't bad enough, this action puts millions of our fellow Americans who are bracing for another hurricane season at risk by taking away funding that FEMA and other security agencies may need to respond.

"Instead of prioritizing those efforts, as Congress intended, the Administration is once again putting its anti-immigrant agenda before all else. House Democrats strongly oppose this reckless decision and urge President Trump to reconsider this position."