Frost Comments on DHS Funding Concerns

During a segment on CNN’s “The Source” aired on Friday, Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) addressed concerns about impending Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding cuts that could negatively impact agencies such as TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard, while emphasizing that ICE remains well-funded. He remarked, “We’re saying no on behalf of our constituents. They passed significant bills that allocated essentially unlimited resources to ICE at the cost of health care and provided major tax breaks to billionaires.” He added that while this happened last year, “we’re clearly stating we won’t give them any money to replicate those actions.”

Host Caitlan Collins pointed out that funding for ICE and the entire DHS is a pressing concern in Congress. She noted that a bill had already passed that would provide $75 billion over the next four years. Collins questioned how Frost could rationalize a vote that wouldn’t prevent ICE funding when it could interfere with payments to TSA, FEMA, and Coast Guard employees. She hinted at the indirect impacts on those affected, asking for justification for supporting a situation that could harm them.

Frost replied, “First and foremost, Republicans in the House don’t need my vote to advance their legislation. If they want my support, they need to address our demands regarding DHS and ICE. If we’re talking about consequences, let’s chat with people like Alex Preti or Renee Nicole Good—those who are facing violence in their communities—and consider the terror felt by neighbors.” He emphasized the repercussions of DHS and ICE actions, asserting that House Democrats are leveraging their power to declare that constituents are fed up. He characterized current operations as an overreach, referring to them as “mass kidnappings” rather than deportations, and reiterated that no funding would be provided to continue practices seen in the past year.