The Department of Homeland Security shutdown on Saturday after Democrats failed to support the DHS funding bill that passed the House.
This shutdown only hurts our Coast Guard, FEMA, and TSA agents, as these entities will once again be forced to work without pay. Despite the claims from Democrats, their latest political shutdown will not affect immigration operations as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) already have the funds to operate through this fiscal year.
From defending our maritime borders against drug traffickers and illegal mass immigration from the Caribbean, to countering Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. Coast Guard safeguards the American people and protects our nation from maritime threats.
And in the wake of recent freezing temperatures that caused damage across Florida’s agricultural industries, it is even more critical to ensure that FEMA has the funds needed to operate and provide relief and recovery.
I urge my Democrat colleagues to stop perpetuating the falsehood that blocking DHS funding is blocking ICE funding and will join me in supporting the commonsense, responsible funding bill that was negotiated with bipartisan support.
Congressman Daniel Webster represents The Villages in the U.S. House of Representatives.