“Not Sustainable for Our National Security”: Homeland Republicans Urge Democrats to End Their DHS Shutdown on House Floor

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- This week, House Committee on Homeland Security Republicans took to the floor of the House of Representatives to urge final passage of full-year funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as we approach week four of a partial government shutdown. For the second time this year, House Republicans advanced the bipartisanFiscal Year 2026 DHS appropriations bill, with all but a few House Democrats voting against it. Senate Democrats continue to block this long-term funding, even as America and the West face a heightened threat landscape amid military conflict with Iran and as we near the 2026 FIFA World Cup on U.S. soil.

Watch Chairman Andrew Garbarino's (R-NY) remarks on the House floor this week here and listen to his interview on Fox News here.

Watch Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA) deliver remarks on the House floor.

"For nearly three weeks, the key pieces of the Department of Homeland Security have been shut down, and families face uncertainty about their paychecks. This is happening because some in this chamber are choosing to play politics at a time when the work of DHS staff is urgently needed, and despite having negotiated this bipartisan agreement themselves. Today, some DHS components are operating at limited capacity. Trainings are halted, long-term planning is paused, and only bare-minimum essential services are being continued. This is not sustainable for our national security."

"TSA officers stand on the frontlines every single day to secure our skies, yet they're working without paychecks. The Coast Guard can fully execute marine security, if they had funding, but search and rescue operations, drug interdiction missions--all of those are in jeopardy because, again, of the opposition from the other side. FEMA's disaster response and recovery efforts are scaled back as severe weather and emergencies approach. CISA, our nation's cyber defense agency, is operating at limited capacity during heightened global tensions. The Secret Service faces constraints in protecting our leaders… It's time to put the politics aside, support the men and women who protect our nation, prioritize that safety of the American people, and that means ending this shutdown, passing the bill, and fully restoring the operational readiness of the Department of Homeland Security."

Watch Rep. Sheri Biggs (R-SC) deliver remarks on the House floor.

"At a time when the threat of terrorism is real and it's rising, those on the other side of the aisle have left the agency responsible for protecting our homeland just hanging out to dry for nearly a month… DHS works to stop terrorist threats. DHS supports the law enforcement officers who keep our community safe. And letting it stay shut down--it's reckless. Stop the partisan games and protect Americans. Mr. Speaker, this issue is personal for me. I am a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, and I still currently serve. And should I be called up, my go bag is packed and ready. Serving as a medical crew director in the back of an aircraft in hostile environments, I've looked wounded service members in their eyes as I cared for them."

"For nearly 50 years, the Iranian regime fueled terrorism. It backed proxy militias and threatened Americans and our allies. Their chants of death to America have never been symbolic. They've been backed by violence and a relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons… Russia is watching. China is watching. Every adversary testing Americans' resolve is watching. There is peace through strength. It protects American lives, and it keeps our country safe."

Watch Rep. Vince Fong (R-CA) deliver remarks on the House floor.

"As congressional Democrats continue to play partisan games, they are weakening our cybersecurity operations, disrupting critical intelligence sharing, forcing public servants supporting our national security to go without pay, including critical personnel from TSA who work every day to prevent terror attacks and FEMA who support our communities in the wake of disasters. This is the second time in the past four months that TSA workers are working without pay. During the last shutdown, TSA saw increased rates of unscheduled absences and localized spikes in wait times, which are expected again during the shutdown as spring travel begins to rise. In my home state of California, we continue preparations to host major international events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which begins this coming June, followed by the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. The World Cup will be the largest sporting event in history, with upwards of five million international fans traveling to the United States. The safety and success of these global events hinge on DHS's ability to maintain mission readiness. The longer this partial shutdown continues, the weaker our ability to prepare for these events becomes. To delay any longer is to risk the lives of countless Americans and millions of international visitors alike."

BACKGROUND:

In January, the House passed six final appropriations bills, including the first passage of the bipartisan agreement to fund DHS for a full fiscal year. The legislation provided funding for body cameras, de-escalation training, and resources for DHS's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to enhance transparency. 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 Security Agency (CISA), and more.

During a shutdown, many of the Department's more than 250,000 employees, who dedicate their lives to keeping the American people safe, are forced to work without pay. In February, House Homeland Security Committee and Appropriations Committee Republicans issued statements condemning Senate Democrats' actions, warning that the funding lapse puts the safety and security of Americans at risk.

In the Committee's February oversight hearing, leaders from U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) all testified that a DHS shutdown would undermine interagency coordination and hinder the department's ability to effectively carry out its core mission. The Committee also held a hearing with FIFA host city and law enforcement stakeholders for the World Cup, who raised concerns about the potential impacts of the ongoing shutdown and federal funding delays on security preparations for these events. The House Appropriations Committee's Homeland Security Subcommittee also held a hearing in February on the impacts of a shutdown for DHS, where leaders from FEMA, TSA, CISA, and the U.S. Coast Guard emphasized similar concerns about the operational and security risks caused by a lapse in funding.

Numerous publications and outlets also highlighted the impacts on different DHS components:

• The shutdown may disrupt several ongoing investigations being led by the agency's Office of Inspector General, affecting the ability to conduct thorough oversight of DHS and its components.
• The current funding lapse is also the second time in the past six months that TSA workers are expected to work without pay, with more than 90 percent of the agency's employees considered essential. During the last shutdown, TSA saw "increased rates of unscheduled absences and localized spikes in wait times," which are expected again during this shutdown as spring travel begins to rise.
• CISA leaders told House appropriators that just one-third of the agency's employees would remain on the job under a shutdown, significantly impairing CISA's ability to conduct "cyber incident response, security assessments, stakeholder engagements, training exercises, and special event planning."
• During the last shutdown, "nearly 85 percent of FEMA employees " continued to work without pay, which is expected to recur with the current funding lapse. Emergency response efforts could be strained, and disaster relief reimbursements may be delayed, potentially slowing recovery efforts for affected communities.
• " More than 41,000 active-duty and activated Reserve members " of the U.S. Coast Guard are likely working without pay, even amid its historic success in securing the country's maritime borders, slowing down the flow of illicit narcotics, and conducting high-risk maritime operations to protect U.S. interests abroad.

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