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Congressman Trolls Bill To Point Out Republican Hypocrisy
WASHINGTON — A Democratic congressman is using a Republican-sponsored bill that would withhold federal law enforcement funding to so-called sanctuary cities to draw attention to GOP hypocrisy.
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) on Wednesday added an amendment that calls for applying the same funding restrictions to states and municipalities refusing to abide by the Supreme Court ruling that legalizes gay marriage.
“Some state and local officials are showing an unwillingness to comply with a clear directive from the Supreme Court of the United States,” Pocan said in a statement. “Officials have an obligation to uphold rights for all Americans enshrined in the Constitution and we need to everything we can to make sure they adhere to the law of the land.”
Both Senate and House Republicans have called for eliminating Department of Justice funding to sanctuary cities, which have said they will not comply with federal immigration officials in tracking and reporting undocumented immigrants. The bills were introduced after a fatal shooting earlier this month in San Francisco, a sanctuary city. Charged in the killing is an undocumented man who had previously been deported five times.
Pocan said he believes that if Congress can restrict funding to state and local authorities based on immigration policies, it can do the same for localities that fail to respect gay marriage, which the Supreme Court has deemed a constitutionally protected right.
Earlier this month, Pocan wrote a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch asking federal officials to pursue all possible steps to punish states and municipalities holding out against gay marriage.
Though Pocan’s amendment is unlikely to get a vote when the House bill is considered later this week, he plans to introduce the measure in other bills as well, according to his office.
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