FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 30, 2026
CONTACT
Dan Radmacher, Media Specialist, (276) 289-1018, dan@appvoices.org
In response to the violent and aggressive actions of immigration and border control officers against the public, including the shooting of a Minneapolis man who was recording Border Patrol officers during increased federal immigration activity in the city, numerous U.S. senators pledged to vote against an appropriations bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Because the bill to fund DHS is packaged with funding bills for several federal agencies, this development has led to a partial government shutdown. Though President Donald Trump and congressional leadership announced a tentative deal to keep the government funded late Thursday, numerous federal agencies will shut down beginning tomorrow. Agencies that will be affected, in addition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, include the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
Statement by Executive Director Tom Cormons:
“While we are deeply concerned about the effects of another government shutdown on worker safety, mine safety, low-income energy bill assistance, pipeline safety, disaster preparedness and more, we also believe it is essential that the government protects the rights of everyone in this country to the rule of law, due process and the exercise of our fundamental freedoms enumerated in the Bill of Rights. Our communities deserve all of the above.
“At Appalachian Voices, we believe that no matter our income level, the color of our skin or whether we live in a holler or a city, everyone deserves a safe community, clean air and water, safety on the job, and the basic constitutional protections at the foundation of our democracy. We urge our country’s leaders to work together to ensure that all of these rights are protected.”
