Two Long Island House Democrats bucked their party’s leadership this week, voting with Republicans to advance a sweeping Homeland Security funding package that includes roughly $10 billion earmarked for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Reps. Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi, who both brand themselves as moderate Democrats, were among a small group of Democrats who joined the GOP to pass a $64.4 billion spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security.
The measure passed the United States House of Representatives, 220–207, with Gillen and Suozzi voting yes alongside five other Democrats. Cross-party votes on must-pass funding bills aren’t unusual—but this one drew immediate backlash from the left. The New York Post reported that progressive activists and commentators quickly called for primary challenges against the two lawmakers.
Critics argued the bill pours money into enforcement without strong enough oversight—essentially giving ICE what they called a “blank check,” while failing to add meaningful accountability measures.
Why they say they voted yes
Gillen defended her vote in a statement, saying she supports “funding our immigration enforcement and the commonsense guardrails that have been included in this package.” She also said she was “shocked” colleagues would vote against what she described as national and community security funding while leaving ICE “to operate under the status quo.”
Suozzi struck a similar note—acknowledging that ICE has “overstepped its bounds,” but arguing the funding is necessary to keep key agencies operating and avoid disruptions.
Pressure from both sides
Even as progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and candidate Saikat Chakrabarti criticized the vote, the two Democrats also took fire from local Republicans. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman wasn’t impressed, and spokesperson Chris Boyle accused the lawmakers of trying to “run for cover” from what he described as a party overtaken by “socialist extremists.”
What happens next
The bill now heads to the United States Senate, where Democrats are expected to resist it. If it clears the Senate, it would go to Donald Trump for signature. The measure would fund DHS through September 30.
