Daines on Fox Business: Our Nation is Safer Thanks to Federal Law Enforcement

• January 27, 2026

U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senator Steve Daines today joined Fox Business to voice his support for federal law enforcement agents and the need to prevent another government shutdown.

Watch the full interview HERE.

Daines on supporting federal law enforcement:

This bill that we want to vote on the U.S. Senate was passed with an overwhelming bipartisan fashion last week. It came to the Senate. It's our turn now to pass what the House passed, get it on the President's desk, and keep the government open. We have till Friday at midnight. The American people do not want to see another shutdown. I was going through the airport today flying back from Montana to Washington, D.C. One of the TSA agents said, sir, is there going to be another government shutdown? They've been through it once before, 43 days. This is what the Democrats are asking for, another shutdown. Look, credit President Trump and credit his team for de-escalating the situation in Minnesota. He sent [Border Czar] Tom Homan in, made changes there in the leadership structure. He reached out personally, President Trump did, to Governor Walz. Tom Homan, the Border Czar, met with Governor Walz today and with the mayor of Minneapolis. They are working to de-escalate it. But think about what ICE does for our country. There are 22,000 agents that show up every day to protect us. They've removed 150,000 criminal illegal aliens in our country and deported them. Our nation is much safer because of their actions. And what are have received in response to that? An 8,000 percent increase in death threats since the year began. Look, they've got a tough job. I think we all agree what happened in Minnesota needs to be carefully investigated and reviewed. But let's not take 22,000 agents that come in every day and do their jobs and throw them under the bus because the Democrats want to shut down the government.

Daines on Trump's efforts to de-escalate in Minnesota:

Remember, in the Working Families Tax Cuts bill that we passed, the President signed in July, we allocated $150 billion for DHS. So the part that the Democrats are most angry about is going to get funded, and it's going to be FEMA, TSA, Secret Service that would be defunded right now with a shutdown. And so as we remember what happened the last time the Democrats shut down the government, they saw no policy outcome. These shutdowns begin with a great big bang and they end with a whimper. Let's not inflict this pain on the American people by shutting down the government. Let's work this out. I credit President Trump for de-escalating the situation, but it's a two-way street. We need some cooperation. We need the folks there in Minnesota say it's okay to take the criminal aliens off the street, but we can change the tactics. Tom Homan's doing that. President Trump made a change in leadership. He's doing the right things to de-escalate it. Now let's de-escalate the temperature here in Washington and get the government funded.

Daines on another possible shutdown:

It's a sad fact that you've got mayors and governors who are openly opposed to the rule of law. President Trump's trying to restore law and order. Why does he want to do that? Because it restores safety in our communities where you've got scared moms that don't want their kids on the street. Got scared dads as well. But there is no plan B right now, Larry. Either the Democrats will take what the House passed in an overwhelming bipartisan fashion and pass it in the Senate, or there will be a shutdown. There's no plan B. If you don't go with Plan A, there will be a shutdown on Friday night.

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