Kevin Cramer Endorses Cruel Family Separation Policy, Bemoans “Over-Dramatization” of the Crisis
Self-proclaimed ‘family values’ candidate has zero empathy for children and families at the border
Cramer should join Senator Heitkamp and co-sponsor Keeping Families Together Act and work to strengthen border security
(BISMARCK, ND) — Kevin Cramer likes to masquerade as a family values politician, but his endorsement of the administration’s heartless practice of separating children from their families at the border is showing Cramer’s true colors. Just yesterday, ProPublica released audio of children wailing after being separated from their parents, and an agent making a crass joke about an “orchestra.” But Congressman Cramer recently said that he thinks “there’s a lot of over dramatization if you want to know the truth […].”
The truth is that instead of standing up for children, families and American values, Kevin Cramer first released a tone-deaf statement – showing no compassion or concern for the trauma these kids are experiencing in cages far away from their families. This morning, Cramer doubled-down on his endorsement of the family separation policy – paying lip service to compassion while, as usual, passing the buck to someone else. And this afternoon, Cramer dismissed the situation as being over-dramatized.
Cramer could do something about this – he could call on the president to change the policy immediately. But rather than put himself on the wrong side of the president, Cramer refuses to do so – and refuses to join legislative efforts like the Keeping Families Together Act to solve this crisis.
“By endorsing the president’s cruel family separation policy, Kevin Cramer has revealed himself as the heartless politician that he is – throwing family values to the wind to rubber-stamp the administration’s policies,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “Cramer’s ability to ignore rising calls from the likes of former First Lady Laura Bush, faith leaders and Republican members of Congress who have spoken out about this policy is perhaps the most stunning example to-date of Cramer’s ruthless political nature. Children do not need to be separated from their families to secure our borders. But as usual, instead of working toward solutions, Cramer shrugs his shoulders and lays blame at someone else’s feet. Cramer is playing partisan politics with children’s lives and it needs to stop immediately. He ought to join Senator Heidi Heitkamp and work to strengthen our borders and co-sponsor the Keep Families Together Act because it’s the right thing to do.”
