Rep. Bass Sends Letter Demanding Details On How Many Tax Dollars are Being Spent on Trump’s Family Separation Policy
June 26, 2018
Dear Secretaries Azar and Nielsen:
As federal officials, we have a moral obligation to uphold the values that have always made America a beacon of hope, democracy and decency in the world.
We also have an obligation to the hardworking taxpayers across this nation who entrust us to spend their money wisely.
Over the last several weeks, we have been appalled by the images of children being separated from their parents at the border and haunted by the cries of toddlers taken from their mothers. We believe to our core that this is an immoral policy and a harmful misuse of taxpayer funds.
News sources have reported that it is costing the taxpayers as much as $256 per night at permanent facilities and $775 per child per day at makeshift tent cities under this family separation policy. It is our understanding that this does not necessarily include things like the cost of transporting children from the border to detention centers.
The public deserves a complete and thorough accounting of exactly how much of their money you have spent breaking up thousands of families on our southern border. Specifically, we are requesting, in writing:
- The average per day bed costs for children separated from their parents. Include individual costs at temporary tent cities for immigrant children, permanent facilities or shelters for immigrant children and family detainment facilities.
- The average length of detention of children separated from their parents.
- The amount spent to transport separated children to their detention centers.
- The amount agencies pay in rent, maintenance or other indirect costs for facilities to house or care for separated children.
- The number of staff hours spent separating children from their parents.
- A description of the kind of trauma counseling these children receive and how much has been spent in this area.
- A description of the medical care these children receive. Please itemize the cost associated with the various treatments provided on things like mental health exams, immunizations and other pediatric treatments.
- A full list of contractors, contracts and contract costs to house or in any way care for children separated from their parents.
- Account for any additional direct or indirect costs, beyond those specified above, incurred by the federal government in separating and detaining children taken from their parents.
- The estimated cost to taxpayers to reunite these children with their families.
- The estimated timeline for completing reuniting these children with their families.
In short, we are requesting full and immediate transparency in accounting of this misuse of taxpayer dollars.
It's hard to underscore how alarming it has been to see the White House, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Health and Human Services issuing contradictory and false information over the last few weeks. We urge you to take this opportunity to be transparent and forthright with the American public.
We request that you provide this information as quickly as possible, but no later than July 10th.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Rep. Cheri Bustos
Rep. Karen Bass
Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez
Rep. Elijah Cummings
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, II
Rep. Jacky Rosen
Rep. Judy Chu
Rep. Earl Blumenauer
Rep. Mark DeSaulnier
Rep. Yvette Clarke
Rep. Jim Cooper
Rep. Lois Frankel
Rep. Vicente Gonzalez
Rep. Ted Deutch
Rep. Raúl Grijalva
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman
Rep. Kathleen Rice
Rep. Dina Titus
Rep. Bobby Rush
Rep. Tom Suozzi
Rep. Tim Walz
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
Rep. Bill Foster
Rep. Henry C. “Hank” Johnson
Rep. Jim McGovern
Rep. Tim Ryan
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton
Rep. Dave Loebsack
Rep. Colleen Hanabusa
Rep. Jared Polis
Rep. Darren Soto
Rep. Juan Vargas
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson
Rep. Alcee L. Hastings
Rep. Tom O’Halleran
Rep. Jamie Raskin
Rep. Julia Brownley
Rep. Grace Meng
Rep. Anthony Brown
Rep. Filemon Vela
Rep. Rick Nolan
Rep. Ruben Kihuen
Rep. Alma S. Adams, Ph.D
Rep. Debbie Dingell
Rep. Ami Bera
Rep. Bill Pascrell
Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán
Rep. Ro Khanna
Rep. Andrè Carson
Rep. Salud Carbajal
Rep. David Cicilline
Rep. Marc Veasey
Rep. Elizabeth H. Esty
Rep. Pramila Jayapal
Rep. Zoe Lofgren
Rep. Dan Lipinski
Rep. Jim Himes
Rep. Jimmy Gomez
Rep. Charlie Crist
Rep. Niki Tsongas
Rep. Derek Kilmer
Rep. Steve Cohen
Rep. Ann Kuster
Rep. Albio Sires
Rep. Kathy Castor
Rep. Scott Peters
Rep. Suzan DelBene
Rep. Donald McEachin
Rep. Bradley S. Schneider
Rep. Brenda L. Lawrence
Rep. Seth Moulton
Rep. Michael Capuano
Rep. Robert A. Brady
Rep. Danny K Davis
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries
Rep. Jerry McNerney
Rep. Don Beyer
Rep. Mark Pocan
Rep. Donald Payne, Jr.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat
Rep. Paul Tonko
Rep. Ruben Gallego
Rep. John Yarmuth
Rep. Diana DeGette
Rep. Gerry Connolly
Rep. Julian Castro
Rep. Nita Lowey
Rep. Lou Correa
Rep. John Sarbanes
Rep. Jan Schakowsky
Rep. Robin Kelly
Rep. Nydia Velazquez
Rep. Pete Aguilar
Rep. Raul Ruiz
Rep. Grace Napolitano
Rep. Katherine Clark
Rep. Sanford Bishop
Rep. John Lewis
Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay
Rep. Val Demings
Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger
Rep. Ed Perlmutter
Rep. Denny Heck
Rep. Lucille Roybal Allard
Rep. Henry Cuellar
Rep. Gene Green