A Central Coast lawmaker is urging U.S. senators to reject a major federal spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), citing concerns about immigration enforcement and potential cuts to healthcare and social services.
Assemblymember Dawn Addis, a Democrat who represents parts of San Luis Obispo County, released a letter Tuesday calling on the Senate to vote against the Fiscal Year 2026 Homeland Security Appropriations Act.
The bill, which passed The U.S. House of Representatives last week, would provide more than $64 billion in funding for the Department of Homeland Security, including billions for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
In an interview with KCBX, Addis said the timing of the proposal is troubling, and pointed to recent fatal shootings involving federal agents and what she describes as an escalation of immigration enforcement across the country. She also referenced recent shootings in Minneapolis.
“You have numerous deaths now of innocent people,” Addis said. “Including one on the Central Coast where ICE raided a cannabis farm in the southern part of the Central Coast and a man was being chased and fell off a roof and died.”
Meanwhile, Republican supporters of the bill say the funding is necessary in order to avoid a government shutdown and bolster border enforcement.
Addis warned that expanding funding for DHS and ICE comes at the expense of healthcare and social services, as Congress considers significant cuts to Medicaid and other federal programs relied on by California.
She is calling for greater accountability and federal oversight of DHS operations before lawmakers approve the additional funding.
The letter has gained support from a growing number of Democratic lawmakers in the State Legislature as the Senate debates the measure.
