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Florida Republican hits HHS for denying entry to child shelters

Carlos Curbelo speaking at a press conference.
Rep. Carlos Curbelo. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call

Florida Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo lambasted the Department of Health and Human Services on Friday after being denied entry into a government facility holding migrant children, despite originally being approved for the visit, the Daily Beast reports.

"[I]f they're confident in the work that they're doing, they should welcome us in. It was highly disappointing and I think they're claiming that they have a lot of work and getting a lot of requests. I don't feel sorry for them. That's what we pay them to do...We fund these facilities. We fund the salaries of everyone who works at these facilities."
— Rep. Curbelo, per the Beast

The details: Per the Beast, Curbelo — who was also a vocal supporter of Scott Pruitt's resignation on Thursday — made a formal request to HHS more than two weeks ago to visit the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children, a facility in his southern Florida district.

  • Friday was agreed upon as the day for his visit, the Beast reports. The night before his visit, Curbelo was told that HHS couldn't send a staffer to the facility to give him a tour, despite there being HHS officials based in south Florida.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)