The Leadership Conference Opposes H.R. 1968, the “Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025”
View a PDF of the letter here.
March 11, 2025
Oppose H.R. 1968, the “Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025”
Dear Member of Congress,
On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, I am writing to express our opposition to H.R. 1968, the “Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025” (CR). The Leadership Conference plans to include your vote on this bill in our voting records for the 119th Congress. It is imperative that Congress instead pass a funding bill that supports current services, preserves Congress’s constitutional control and oversight of the power of the purse, protects the rights of immigrants, and respects the budget and self-determination of the District of Columbia.
A budget is a moral document that should ensure the government meets Americans’ needs and supports its people. Unfortunately, this proposed CR would gut vital programs, increase hardships, and make Americans less healthy, safe, and secure. This bill also undermines Congress’s role in controlling the power of the purse, instead giving the administration an enormous amount of discretion over spending priorities and decisions. This will allow Elon Musk and the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) to continue to slash essential programs without any sort of oversight and without regard for the effect on Americans, thereby ceding power granted to Congress by the Constitution to the executive branch.
In addition, the bill provides hundreds of millions of dollars in additional resources to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to continue building its mass deportation machine. It would provide this additional funding while removing important safeguards that protect the rights of immigrants.
Finally, the proposed CR would limit D.C. to its FY24 levels for local funding, effectively leading to nearly $1 billion cuts to District services, including public safety, education, and health. This provision is the latest in a long line of attacks on democracy in the District of Columbia. Congress should continue its longstanding practice and allow D.C. to continue to spend at its current budget levels.
This bill poses a grave threat to the livelihoods and well-being of millions of Americans. Congress should pass a clean short-term CR and work on appropriations in a bipartisan fashion instead of voting on this ill-conceived and harmful bill. Thank you for your consideration. If you have any questions, please contact Rob Randhava, senior policy counsel, at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Jesselyn McCurdy
Executive Vice President of Government Affairs