Schumer Defends Democrats Amid DHS Funding Dispute
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer from New York remarked on Thursday that it’s “unfair” to suggest that Senate Democrats are blocking funds for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) due to “political posturing.” He made these comments during an appearance on CNN’s “Situation Room,” discussing the current shutdown at DHS, which followed Senate Democrats pushing for tougher regulations on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
When asked by Blitzer about the reasoning behind the shutdown—especially since the funding had been previously secured for ICE and Border Patrol under a law passed last year—Schumer defended the Democrats’ stance. The ongoing shutdown has led to confusion within the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Blitzer pointed out that both ICE and Border Patrol already had substantial funding, citing President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Act.” So, he questioned, why delay the bill if it was purely for political reasons? Schumer responded, saying, “That’s totally unfair. We paused the funding because, as I said before, we need to reform the unregulated practices of ICE and CBP. The American public largely supports reform—about twice as many people want it as don’t.” He mentioned that they would not support funding for these agencies until reforms occurred.
Blitzer pressed on the fact that funds had already been allocated. Schumer further clarified, “If they want to keep transferring money from other initiatives to fund an unregulated ICE and CBP, causing chaos in our cities, that’s on them. We won’t be complicit in that.”
This funding showdown has created significant disruptions within the TSA, leading to long wait times at major airports. In response, President Trump issued an executive order last week to ensure TSA employees received paychecks, many of whom had gone unpaid since February. However, Schumer did not attribute this development to Trump’s order.
He noted that they had proposed funding for all other agencies except ICE or CBP until reforms were in place, to which the administration declined. Schumer suggested that passing the House’s bill would alleviate funding issues.
A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader John Thune stated that the Democrats’ demands revolved around reforming ICE and CBP regulations, claims they ultimately failed to substantiate. Essentially, Thune argued, “This was about not securing funding,” putting the onus on the Democrats for the impasse.
On Thursday, the Senate did reach an agreement to send a bipartisan deal to fund the entire DHS—excluding initiatives related to immigration and border security—to the House for review. However, a vote isn’t anticipated until House members reconvene on April 13.
