WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and U.S. Representatives Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) have each introduced companion bills in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives to block the implementation of President Trump’s executive order blocking travel from majority Muslim countries. The bills, S. 246 and H.R. 810, would prohibit the use of any funds or fees to implement Executive Order 13780, signed on March 6, 2017. Murphy, Feinstein, Chu, and Lofgren issued the following statements: 

“Two years ago, after President Trump announced his hateful Muslim ban, I heard from families across Connecticut who feared they would never see their loved ones again. But the proposed ban wasn't just a threat the families affected by it – it threatened the very idea of America. We are made stronger – and safer – by embracing our diversity,” said Murphy. “I’m proud to join Rep. Judy Chu, Senator Feinstein, and many of our colleagues in introducing this legislation. Our bill would immediately stop President Trump’s discriminatory ban.” 

“I will never forget the chaos and pain created by the first Muslim Ban. Nor will I forget the crowds of lawyers and families who came to protest at airports, or the long lines of residents from every faith who came to show solidarity at a local mosque in such great numbers they flowed out onto the street,” said Chu. “The Muslim Ban – now in its third iteration, but wrong in any form – is just one of the weapons Donald Trump is using to foment xenophobia and bigotry and drive wedges in our communities. It is simply un-American. We do not create policies based on religion and we do not target people because of who they worship. That is bigotry at its worst, and it is part of the reason we have seen an increase in hate crimes and violence since Trump started his campaign. And that is why Sen. Murphy and I are reintroducing our bill to block any federal funds from going towards the implementation of the Muslim Ban. The founders intended Congress to be a check on the whims of the President. And with this bill, we are reclaiming that role after years of Republican acquiescence. We are standing up to say that xenophobia and bigotry have no place in our country. That everybody is welcome, regardless of their religion. And that we will not allow one dollar to be spent on bad policies meant only to divide us. We are stronger together, and together, we will put an end to this hateful Muslim Ban.” 

“President Trump’s travel ban is inherently discriminatory. It does nothing to make us safer and causes real pain and hardship for American families who remain separated from loved ones, even if they are sick or dying. Our bill would assert Congress’ oversight authority and block this unnecessary, discriminatory policy,” said Feinstein. 

"Trump's Muslim ban not only harms our families and our economy, it betrays our core values and it makes us less safe,” said Lofgren. “As Chair of the Immigration and Citizenship Subcommittee, I hope to hold the Administration accountable for its policies, conduct, and misleading statements in regard to the Muslim ban.” 

In the Senate, the bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.),  Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.),  Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.).  

The House cosponsors are U.S. Representatives Gwen Moore (WI-04), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Don Beyer (VA-08), Steven Hosford (NV-04), Yvette Clark (NY-09), Gregory Meeks (NY-05), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Eric Swalwell (CA-15), Gerald E. Connolly (VA-11), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Jerry Nadler (NY-10), Grace Meng (NY-06), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Juan Vargas (CA-51), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Mark Takano (CA-41), Peter Welch (VT), Deb Haaland (NM-1), Grace Napolitano (CA-32), Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-3), Chuy Garcia (IL-04), Brian Higgins (NY-26), David Trone (MD-06), Gilbert R. Cisneros Jr. (CA-39), Elijah Cummings (MD-07), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Adam Smith (WA-09), Joseph P. Kennedy III (MA-4), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Andy Levin (MI-09), Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26), Henry Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), Andre Carson (IN-07). 

Organizations endorsing the bill include: Amnesty International, USA, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), National Immigration Law Center (NILC), Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), Association of International Educators (NAFSA), National Iranian American Council (NIAC), Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), Council on American- Islamic Relations (CAIR), Church World Service (CWS), Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), National Council of Jewish Women, and the Congregation of Our Lady of Charty of the Good Shepherd.

Text of the bill can be viewed here. 

###