Senate deems admin does not need to produce report on El Salvador, human rights
A vote to compel the Trump administration to produce a report on El Salvador’s human rights practices, led by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., was defeated by a roll call vote of 45-50 on Thursday. Kaine, along with co-sponsors Sens. Chuck Schumer of New York, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, and Alex Padilla of California, all Democrats, invoked powers granted by the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to introduce a privileged resolution – which necessitated a vote regardless of GOP opposition – to demand the administration to furnish such information.
During a press conference announcing the vote, Kaine stated that if approved, it would suspend foreign aid to the Salvadoran government if the Trump administration refused to comply. “I also send a message to the government of El Salvador,” Kaine said in his remarks, switching to Spanish midway. “You might think it’s cute right now to grab attention by a bromance with President Donald Trump. He’s going to be a president for poco más (a short time) – tres años más (three more years).”
Continuing in Spanish, Kaine emphasized that the two countries will always have relations before switching back to English to assert that the U.S. will not easily forget “you violating the human rights of American citizens – you’re wrong.” On the Senate floor Thursday, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., accused Senate Democrats of “voting once again to defend illegal immigrant criminals. They seem to like to do that. It’s hard to believe, but it’s true.”
“They’re going to come to this floor today, and they’re going to line up to express their blind loyalty and belligerent support for illegal immigrant criminals,” Barrasso, the second-most-senior Republican, added. Fox News Digital reached out to Kaine for comment, and his office provided a copy of the resolution. Van Hollen, who traveled to El Salvador in an attempt to bring deported suspected gang member Kilmar Garcia back to Maryland, where his family resides, claimed that Trump had failed to comply with the directive to facilitate his return.
Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, a House proponent of the resolution, stated, “We will use this resolution to force accountability,” although Kaine noted that it does not require their endorsement. Both Trump and Bukele appeared to concur during a meeting in the Oval Office last month that returning Garcia would be “preposterous” and that the court order did not precisely state what critics alleged.
Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant. Charles covers media, politics, and culture for Fox News Digital. A Pennsylvania native, he graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.
