More than a dozen Republican Study Committee members are urging Senate Democrats to end the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding lapse, warning it is disrupting key security and operational functions as U.S. combat operations in Iran continue and investigators in Austin examine evidence the suspect may have had a ‘potential nexus to terrorism.’
The shutdown began on February 14. According to Fox News, “DHS was the only department left without federal funding after Democrats walked away from a bipartisan plan released last month in response to the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal law enforcement agents in Minneapolis during anti-ICE demonstrations.”
The shutdown has led to the suspension of TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs and halted pay for more than 63,000 Transportation Security Administration employees, according to DHS officials. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem previously said the shutdown marks the third time during the 119th Congress that Democrats have shut down the department and warned of national security consequences.
In a February 12 statement, a TSA senior official cautioned, “A prolonged shutdown could result in significant attrition and increased callout rates of our officers, including noticeable impacts at airports, including delays, longer wait times and cancelled flights.”
“The Department of Homeland Security needs to be operating at full capacity right now and Senate Democrats are choosing their radical base over the American people,” stated RSC Chairman August Pfluger (TX-11). “With active threats on our soil, the Left is blocking TSA officer pay, stranding Coast Guard families without a paycheck, and risking cybersecurity operations protecting our critical infrastructure. They ran this same obstruction playbook last fall. It was indefensible then and it is indefensible now.”
RSC Vice-Chair Ben Cline (R-VA) remarked, “While credible threats to our homeland persist, Democrats are playing political games with the very agency tasked with keeping Americans safe. Holding the Department of Homeland Security hostage to appease their radical base is reckless and puts lives at risk. DHS must be fully funded and fully operational so our law enforcement and border personnel have the tools they need to protect our communities.”
Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO), chair of the RSC Messaging Task Force, contended, “This is a moment of serious national vulnerability and DHS must operate at full strength. Yet Democrats would rather continue their political theater than secure the homeland. They have made it clear: protecting illegal aliens ranks higher than protecting American families. House Republicans refuse to accept that trade.”
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Republican Policy Committee Chairman Kevin Hern (R-OK) underscored, “Democrats’ refusal to fund DHS poses a serious threat to our national security. Joe Biden’s open-border policies allowed more than 10 million illegal aliens to enter our country, including individuals on the terrorist watchlist. Now more than ever, it’s critical that DHS is fully funded to ensure the safety of the American people. The Democrats must stop playing political games and put the security of our nation above their partisan agenda.”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) warned, “At a time of imminent threats inside the United States, the Left is still choosing political theater over public safety. Democrats are holding DHS hostage to satisfy the most radical voices in their party, even if it means weakening our ability to protect the homeland. Americans deserve a government focused on security, not ideological games.”
Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS) referenced both domestic and international developments. “Democrats are holding the Department of Homeland Security hostage at the very moment credible threats to our homeland are increasing. After the recent attack in Austin and heightened security concerns across our nation, it is indefensible to allow this DHS funding lapse to continue. After this weekend’s developments in the Middle East, the shutdown, which was already dangerous, has grown exponentially. DHS plays a substantial role in protecting the American people. We must have the agency operating at full capacity. Congress has already negotiated a bipartisan DHS funding bill. The House and Senate should pass it immediately.”
Early Sunday morning, shots were fired just before 2 a.m. at Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden on Sixth Street in Austin. According to Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis, officers patrolling the area responded within 57 seconds of the first emergency call and engaged the suspect after he drove farther down Sixth Street, killing him in an exchange of gunfire. Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz said three people, including the shooter, were pronounced dead at or near the scene, and 17 victims were located. Fourteen were transported to area hospitals, three in critical condition.
The suspect was identified as Ndiaga Diagne, a 53-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen born in Senegal. According to a CBS News report, an undisclosed source with direct knowledge of the investigation revealed he first entered the United States from Senegal in 2000 on a B-2 visitor visa, married a U.S. citizen in 2013, and later obtained U.S. citizenship through the naturalization process as a result of the marriage. Security camera footage showed him wearing a hoodie-type sweatshirt emblazoned with “Property of Allah,” and he was reportedly wearing an undershirt bearing an image of the Iranian flag. A Quran was found in his vehicle, and investigators found an Iranian flag and pictures/photos of Iranian leaders during a search of his Pflugerville home.
Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV) asserted, “The radical Islamic terrorist attack in Austin is a horrific reminder that deadly and imminent threats are already present in the American homeland. It is inexcusable that Democrats have kept the Department of Homeland Security shut down for two weeks, holding our national security hostage for political games. The Biden administration’s open-borders insanity — including the releasing of more than 700 Iranian Special Interest Aliens into the country’s interior — has put our country in a dangerous position. DHS must be funded and operating at full capacity immediately. It’s time that Democrats put the American people’s safety first.”
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) declared, “Muslims terrorists are already inside our towns and subdivisions. Democrats have shut down DHS, destroying our ability to protect the American people from this civilizational-level threat.”
Rep. Brad Knott (R-NC) stressed, “DHS is shut down because Democrats remain committed to halting America’s ability to enforce immigration laws and remove dangerous illegal aliens. With adversaries here and around the world increasingly focused on harming Americans, it is critically important to restore funding to DHS.”
Rep. Sheri Biggs (R-SC) noted, “Democrats are playing political games with the Department of Homeland Security at a time when threats to our country are very real. We cannot afford to weaken disaster response, border security, or public safety just to appease the radical left. DHS must remain fully funded and fully operational to protect the American people.”
Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) argued, “President Biden allowed 10-20 million illegal aliens in our country, and maybe even more. Hundreds of them were on the terror watch list, thousands came from countries hostile to the United States, and the Democrats still refuse to fund the Department of Homeland Security. I wish we were living in the age of Tip O’Neill; a time when we could engage in civilized dialogue to arrive at common sense solutions to serve the good of our Republic, but we are not. The leaders of today’s Democrat Party follow the whims of their Marxist base and have no regard for the principles upon which our country founded. The Democrats can prove me wrong by funding our Homeland Security, but the likelihood of that is slim.”
Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK) added, “Every day that Democrats refuse to open the Department of Homeland Security is another day our nation is put at risk. I urge my colleagues across the aisle to stop playing games with America’s safety.”
Rep. Matt Van Epps (R-TN) maintained, “It is the federal government’s FIRST job to secure the homeland, and Senate Democrats are standing in the way. This year, we will commemorate the 25th anniversary of September 11th, the worst terrorist attack on our homeland in history and the reason the Department of Homeland Security was created in the first place. DHS has a broad jurisdiction that covers counter terrorism, cyber security, transportation security, and the Coast Guard. It is reckless for Democrats to gamble with the safety of the American people. Democrats are cutting their nose to spite their face. This self-destructive action might satisfy the most radical wing of their party, but in the end Americans on both sides of the aisle will see that the refusal to fund DHS is making our country less safe and less secure.”
Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) urged, “Keeping the Department of Homeland Security shut down while there is an imminent threat to national security can lead to deadly circumstances. Democrats must put politics aside and pass the funding that passed the House weeks ago. Without fully funding DHS, we are giving our adversaries an unnecessary advantage in the fight to protect our country.”
Rep. Vince Fong (R-CA) underscored, “As a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, my priority remains the safety and security of the American people. As we face a heightened threat landscape, it is more important now than ever that the Department of Homeland Security be fully funded. Every agency tasked with protecting our nation must have the resources they need. The security of our homeland is not a game. I call on my colleagues in the Senate to act swiftly to ensure DHS can respond to any threat or adversary we may face. We cannot afford delays.”
The calls for immediate DHS funding come as U.S. Central Command confirmed that six U.S. service members have been killed in action during Operation Epic Fury in Iran. CENTCOM said the remains of two previously unaccounted-for service members were recovered and that major combat operations continue.
President Donald Trump announced Monday that the United States “continues to carry out large-scale combat operations in Iran” and that the projected timeline for Operation Epic Fury is “four to five weeks.” Trump explained the objectives are to “eliminate the grave threats posed to America by this terrible terrorist regime,” to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, and to ensure Iran “never has nuclear weapons.” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated the operation is not “endless” and is not a “regime change” war, describing it as “a clear, devastating, decisive mission” to “destroy the missile threat, destroy the navy, no nukes.”
Plymouth Union Public Research surveyed 800 likely general election voters between February 15 and 19 across four swing states for the 2026 midterm elections — Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas — and said that after voters were informed Democrats voted against a plan that would have funded DHS, approval of the shutdown was no higher than 35 percent in every state tested. When asked if they would be less likely to vote for the Democrat candidate in their state if they supported shutting down DHS, 49 percent in ‘George’ and North Carolina said less likely, 52 percent in Ohio said less likely, and 51 percent in Texas said less likely. Plymouth reported a margin of error of 3.46 percent.
