(WASHINGTON) – Senate Republicans and Democrats opened their budget talks on Tuesday with a hearing where budget numbers were not the main topic of conversation.
In fact, the official agenda of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget was “Sanctuary Cities: The Cost of Undermining Law and Order.”
“We’re trying to look at the budget impact of a policy called sanctuary cities,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), chairman of the committee, describing the problem of illegal immigration as a costly one for American taxpayers. He blamed “sanctuary cities” – those with protective policies for immigrants – as a big part of the problem.
But Democrats questioned the Republicans’ decision to frame the debate this way.
“This is just such a big lie,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said.
The biggest budgetary problem is the standoff over the funding of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Democrats don’t want to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement until it reforms its practices. DHS is in a partial shutdown as this standoff continues.
Republicans support President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, but they need Democratic votes to approve the DHS appropriation. Republicans criticized sanctuary cities as part of their argument to emphasize the need for DHS.
Chad Wolf, former acting DHS secretary, was a witness who defended the partnership between ICE and local law enforcement officials. He claimed that several sanctuary cities released thousands of criminal aliens from local jails rather than handing them over to ICE.
“The American people are safer when state and local governments cooperate with federal immigration agencies,” Wolf said during his testimony. “Sanctuary cities must become an artifact of American history.”
David Bier, the director of immigration studies at Cato Institute, defended immigration by claiming that immigrants reduce crime rates by committing fewer crimes.
“DHS has abandoned its public safety mission,” Bier said in his witness statement. “They detain without evidence and they deport without due process.”
Emotions hit a boiling point between Republican senators and select witnesses. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) had a fiery exchange with Bier.
“Truth hurts, doesn’t it?” Kennedy repeatedly asked while speaking over Bier while questioning him.
The discourse between Republicans and witnesses continued.
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) questioned witness Brendan Duke, senior director for federal budget policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Moreno wasn’t impressed with the answers.
“This is the best the Democrats can come up with, Mr. Chairman?” Moreno said to Graham
Meanwhile, Democrats had another question. Why were sanctuary cities even the topic at hand?