Reps. Jimmy Gomez, Elijah Cummings, John Conyers, Jr., and Zoe Lofgren Seek Immediate Hearings on President’s Decision to End DACA

Sep 7, 2017
Press Release

Reps. Jimmy Gomez, Elijah Cummings, John Conyers, Jr., and Zoe Lofgren Seek Immediate Hearings on President’s Decision to End DACA

 

Washington, D.C. (Sept. 7, 2017)—Today, Democratic leaders on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on the Judiciary sent a letter to their respective Chairmen, Reps. Trey Gowdy and Bob Goodlatte, requesting immediate congressional hearings on the impact of President Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

 

“This action is cruel and heartless, and it is now up to Congress to reverse it,” the Members wrote.  “We believe it is critical for the American people to hear public testimony regarding the President’s decision, including the resulting economic costs and social harm to the nation.”  

 

Last Congress, the Oversight Committee held 11 hearings on issues related to immigration, and the Judiciary Committee regularly holds hearings on immigration issues.  Yet no full Committee hearings on the President’s termination of DACA have been scheduled to date.

 

Today’s letter was signed by Oversight Committee Ranking Member Elijah E. Cummings, Oversight Committee Member Jimmy Gomez, Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr., and Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren.

 

Find the full letter below and by clicking here.

 

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September 7, 2017

 

 

Chairman Trey Gowdy

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

U.S.  House of Representatives

Washington, DC  20515

Chairman Bob Goodlatte

Committee on the Judiciary

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, DC  20515

 

 

Dear Chairman Gowdy and Chairman Goodlatte:

 

We urge you to immediately schedule hearings on the impact of President Trump’s decision to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. 

 

Earlier this year, President Trump promised DREAMers that they could “rest easy” because he was only going after “criminals” and that “this is a case of heart.”[1]  Now, the President has broken his promise.  As you know, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced this week that the Trump Administration will end the program with a six-month delay.  If Congress does not act immediately, the President’s decision will upend the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who were brought here as children—through no fault of their own—and today know only America as their home.

 

This action is cruel and heartless, and it is now up to Congress to reverse it.  As a part of that process, the committees of jurisdiction must hold hearings to educate Members and the public about the repercussions of ending DACA.

 

For these reasons, we request that the Oversight Committee and the Judiciary Committee hold hearings to review the efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of the President’s decision.  We ask to hear directly from experts about the profound damage that ending DACA will have on our nation’s economy—contracting the nation’s GDP by $460.3 billion over ten years.[2] We also need to educate the public about how the President’s decision will reduce federal tax contributions to Social Security and Medicare by $24.6 billion over a decade and will cost businesses $3.4 billion in employee turnover costs.[3]

 

As the committee with jurisdiction over the operation of government activities at all levels with a view to determining their economy and efficiency, the Oversight Committee held 11 hearings last Congress on immigration issues, including a joint hearing with the Subcommittees on National Security and Healthcare, Benefits, and Administrative Rules titled “A Review of the President’s Executive Actions on Immigration.”  In addition, as the committee with primary legislative jurisdiction over the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Judiciary Committee regularly holds hearings on immigration issues, and it is critical that we take a close look at the impacts that DACA repeal will have on our communities.

 

We believe it is critical for the American people to hear public testimony regarding the President’s decision, including the resulting economic costs and social harm to the nation.  Thank you for your consideration of this request.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Jimmy Gomez                                                             Elijah E. Cummings
Committee on Oversight and                                      Ranking Member

Government Reform                                                  Committee on Oversight and

                                                                        Government Reform

 

 

John Conyers, Jr.                                                        Zoe Lofgren

Ranking Member                                                        Ranking Member

Committee on the Judiciary                                        Committee on the Judiciary,

                                                                        Subcommittee on Immigration and

                                                                         Border Security

 

 

cc:        The Honorable Raúl Labrador, Chairman

Committee on the Judiciary,

Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security

 

 

 

[1] Trump Tells ‘Dreamers’ to Rest Easy:  ‘We Are After the Criminals’, Las Vegas Sun (Apr. 22, 2017) (online at https://lasvegassun.com/news/2017/apr/22/trump-tells-dreamers-to-rest-easy-we-are-after-the).

 

[2] A New Threat to DACA Could Cost States Billions of Dollars, Center for American Progress (July 21, 2017) (online at www.americanprogress.org/issues/jnimj~rationJnewsJ2o 17/07/21/436419/new-threat-daca-cost-states-billions-dollars).

[3] Money on the Table:  The Economic Cost of Ending DACA, Immigrant Legal Resource Center (Dec.  2016) (online at www.ilrc.org/sites/default/files/resources/2016-12-13_ilrc_report_-_money_on_the_table_economic_costs_of_ending_daca.pdf).

115th Congress