Arizona Rep. Gosar wants immigration separate from spending bill
Jan 17, 2018, 8:22 AM
(Twitter Photo)
(Twitter Photo)
PHOENIX — U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona said Wednesday that if the bill to avoid the looming government shutdown included immigration, he would vote no.
Funding to keep the federal government up and running ends at midnight Friday. Extending the current continuing resolution would avoid the shutdown. But the spending bill could include other issues such as immigration, border-wall funding and disaster relief.
The budget, Gosar, a Republican, told CNN, “should be decoupled with (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). I think there’s a deal to be made there … [but] I can’t vote for any of that if it’s tied together.”
President Donald Trump has already said there would be no deal for undocumented immigrants illegally brought into the country as children if money for a border wall wasn’t included.
Gosar said, “I care about all of immigration [but] … go back to Ronald Reagan — ‘I’m tired of of blaming the government when people break the law.’
“Immigration is such a fabric of this country, but we want to do it right.”
The Prescott dentist, who represents Arizona’s 4th Congressional District, sits on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
A “no” vote could affect military spending if it’s part of the bill.
“I’ve asked for single issues and not clouding the issues with pork and stuff that are slid into these omnibus bills,” he said, but he also said, “I want a strong military but I still want reforms,” he said.
