Appropriations, Homeland Security Republicans Slam Democrats’ DHS Shutdown for Risking Safety and Security of Americans
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Appropriations Committee and House Homeland Security Republicans issued statements on Senate Democrats’ refusal to pass the full-year Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill for Fiscal Year 2026, which was already passed by the House in a bipartisan vote. Instead, Senate Democrats chose to block an extension of DHS funding this week, causing a shutdown of DHS that is set to begin at midnight tonight.
House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) said:
“A shutdown is not a strategy – even if Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats treat it like one. It is a setback for national security and for American families. TSA, Coast Guard, and Secret Service personnel will be forced to work without pay. FEMA disaster response will slow. Cyber defenses and counterterrorism efforts will weaken. Law enforcement programs that protect children and trafficking victims will be impacted. The House acted in good faith and passed a bipartisan, full-year funding bill to prevent this very outcome. We did our job. A DHS shutdown doesn’t advance oversight or policy – it only shifts the burden onto frontline personnel and the communities they serve. The damage is real, and the nation will feel it.”
Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark Amodei (R-NV) said:
“Under the leadership of Chuck Schumer, progressive Democrats are now demanding that Congress weaken interior immigration enforcement or risk shutting down the entire Department of Homeland Security,” said Chairman Mark Amodei. If you think that’s acceptable because you oppose ICE or Border Patrol operations, it’s worth remembering that DHS funds far more than immigration enforcement. Threatening to shut it down puts core national security functions at risk. Policy disagreements are not the responsibility of the appropriations process; rather, they should be taken up with the authorizing committees. I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to reflect on the lessons of the longest government shutdown in history, which proved it accomplishes nothing.”
House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY) said:
“Right now, our country faces a pivotal time for our homeland security, and I worry another lapse in funding for the department will have even longer-lasting impacts than the last. TSA and the Secret Service are preparing for millions of visitors for the World Cup and America 250 celebrations, FEMA is preparing for hurricane season while helping the nation recover from a brutal winter storm, the U.S. Coast Guard is interdicting a record amount of drugs and combating the smuggling of sanctioned oil, and CISA is defending our networks from relentless adversaries while preparing for midterm elections this fall. It is unacceptable that many of these frontline personnel could lose their paychecks for the second time in six months because of Washington’s dysfunction. The resilience of our transportation systems, critical infrastructure, emergency response, and more should not be held hostage by partisan politics. DHS’s work is essential, and it is critical for the department and its frontline personnel to have the stability of long-term funding. Any disruption to the department’s core missions caused by a lapse in funding can only make Americans less safe.”
Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS):
“This shutdown is driven by the Democrats in the Senate. DHS funds more than just ICE. DHS pays the salaries of 260,000 men and women over 22 different agencies. The men and women at DHS are just now digging out of last year’s shutdown. The House already passed bipartisan legislation to fund DHS, and this Democrat-led shutdown was completely avoidable.”
Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology Chairman Dale Strong (R-AL):
"Once again, we see Democrats attempting to use a shutdown to gain political points. While they hold DHS funding hostage, they hurt the critical functions and brave men and women of FEMA, TSA, and the Coast Guard."
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) said:
“While Republicans are standing strong and focused on defending our homeland, Democrats are holding funding for the Department of Homeland Security hostage. Funding for DHS supports critical agencies like the U.S. Coast Guard, Secret Service, CISA, TSA, FEMA, and CBP. I'm dedicated to putting Americans' safety first and ensuring we are ready and able to respond to security threats that may come our way.”
Background:
In a shutdown, many of the Department’s more than 250,000 employees, who dedicate their lives to keeping the American people safe, would be forced to work without pay. Since ICE and CBP already received billions of dollars in funding through reconciliation, the shutdown would disproportionately harm DHS’s other components, which are responsible for disaster response, cybersecurity, transportation security, and infrastructure protection.
In January, the House passed nine final appropriations bills, including a bipartisan, bicameral agreement to fund DHS through the end of the fiscal year. The legislation provided funding for body cameras, support for DHS’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to enhance transparency, and additional resources for training and oversight requirements for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Additionally, the House-passed version included vital funding to support the personnel and missions of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Coast Guard, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), and more.
Senate Democrats abandoned the bipartisan, bicameral deal at the last possible moment, all but guaranteeing a shutdown of the DHS. Despite Democrats’ claims that they want to shut down ICE and CBP operations, those are the only agencies within DHS that have ample funding from the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Trump last summer, and their operations will continue largely uninterrupted. Other operational agencies in the Department will bear the brunt of a shutdown, including: FEMA, TSA, CISA, U.S. Secret Service, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
In the Committee’s oversight hearing earlier this week, leaders from ICE, CBP, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services all testified that a DHS shutdown would undermine inter-agency coordination and hinder the agency’s ability to effectively carry out its core mission. The House Appropriations Committee’s Homeland Security Subcommittee also held a hearing this week on the impacts of a shutdown for DHS, where leaders from FEMA, TSA, CISA, U.S. Secret Service, and the U.S. Coast Guard emphasized similar concerns about the operational and security risks caused by a lapse in funding.
In October 2025, Senate Democrats allowed funding to expire for the federal government, leading to the longest shutdown in U.S. history. During this shutdown, Democrats jeopardized essential DHS authorities, including Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (CUAS) authorities for federal agencies, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015, the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (CGP) and Tribal CGP, the National Cybersecurity Protection System, and TSA Reimbursable Screening Services Program.
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