Republican leaders urged Democrats to approve DHS funding immediately after President Trump ordered strikes on Iran, arguing that elevated threats require the agency to be fully funded. Key Republicans, including Rep. Mike Lawler and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, called for an end to the DHS shutdown, and Speaker Mike Johnson may bring a vote on Thursday. Democrats say they will not authorize funding without policy reforms and greater accountability following recent deadly incidents involving federal agents.
Republicans Push Democrats to Fund DHS After Trump Strikes Iran; Democrats Insist On Reforms
Democrats have refused to support DHS funding without policy changes after two U.S. citizens were killed by federal agents in Minneapolis in January. / Mike Lawler/X
Republican lawmakers moved quickly to press Democrats to approve full funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after President Donald Trump ordered military strikes on Iran, arguing that heightened threats make a fully funded homeland security apparatus essential.
Shortly after strikes were reported over Tehran, New York Rep. Mike Lawler urged Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on X to drop their opposition and pass the DHS funding bill, citing the potential for retaliatory attacks from Iran or its proxies.
The GOP appears to be trying to force Democrats into a corner. / Steve Scalise/X
On Sunday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise repeated that call, pointing to an FBI announcement that its counterterrorism and intelligence teams had been placed on high alert. Scalise said it was dangerous to leave DHS effectively unfunded while threats were elevated and urged House Democrats to bring funding legislation to the floor.
Following the strikes on Iran and the FBI's warning of elevated threats here at home, it is dangerous for Democrats in Washington to keep the Department of Homeland Security shut down.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is reportedly planning a vote on a DHS funding measure on Thursday, according to three people with direct knowledge who spoke to Politico. Republicans framed the push as a matter of national security and continuity for agencies that monitor and respond to domestic threats.
Republican lawmakers are begging for DHS funding on Noem's behalf. The Cabinet member, called ICE Barbie for her frequent law enforcement cosplay, oversees the controversial immigration enforcement operations. / Michael Gonzalez / Getty Images
Democrats have refused to back funding without policy and accountability changes at DHS and related agencies. Their demands include expanded training for officers and a prohibition on masks for immigration agents—measures that gained urgency after two U.S. citizens were killed by federal agents in Minneapolis in January.
Sen. Chris Murphy, appearing on CBS News' Face the Nation, rejected the Republican framing and argued the two goals are not mutually exclusive. Murphy said lawmakers can press for accountability at ICE while also scrutinizing the administration's military actions, adding that he felt no obligation to fund an agency that he said repeatedly violates the law.
The dispute sets up a high-stakes, partisan showdown: Republicans say immediate funding is necessary for national safety amid a sudden escalation abroad, while Democrats insist policy reforms and oversight must accompany any appropriation of taxpayer dollars.
Help us improve.
