Republicans issue a stark warning tied to Iran as they push Democrats to fold on DHS funding

Republicans on Capitol Hill are using the recent military action against Iran as leverage to demand that Democrats fully fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). They want the funding passed immediately, without any of the policy changes.

Per Politico, the Republican argument is simple: they believe Saturday’s strike increases the risk of retaliatory terror attacks in the U.S. mainland, which needs an operational DHS over any partisan disagreements. “Let’s get DHS funded,” urged Senator James Lankford (R-OK), saying that they need to be “defending the homeland by also funding what’s here at home.”

Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY) agreed in a post on X: “Given the situation in the Middle East and the potential for Iran and its terrorist proxies to attempt some type of attack, it is imperative that [Democratic leadership] immediately drop all opposition to funding the Department of Homeland Security and pass the funding bill.” House Speaker Mike Johnson has called for another vote, citing the heightened security threat.

They just really don’t want any policy changes

Congress has been arguing over policy changes for immigration enforcement, with democrats demanding common-sense reforms to increase safety for citizens. So far, Republican proposals haven’t met their demands. The disagreement has led to a partial shutdown as funding for the DHS has been stopped until an agreement is reached.

Aside from ICE, the DHS also oversees other national security and emergency response agencies, which are crucial in mobilizing federal resources during a terror attack. This includes the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Coast Guard, Secret Service. One major agency, FEMA, has already been subject to operational curtailment.

CISA, for example, is tasked with protecting federal networks and helping state, local, and private organizations fend off cyberattacks. Iran has a long history of being a serious player in cyberspace, often targeting U.S. and Israeli critical infrastructure. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) stated that it was “inexcusable that Congress has not funded CISA, TSA, Coast Guard and Secret Service when we are seeing combat operations in the Middle East.”

Democrats aren’t convinced. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) pointed out that Republicans are the ones who need to compromise, especially given public support for reforms to how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol operate. He believes Republicans have “essentially stonewalled and rejected any common sense reforms to ICE or CBP.” 

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) of the Senate panel overseeing DHS dismissed the Republican argument as a “false choice.” He passionately stated that we “can do two things at once: we can demand that ICE stop murdering American citizens, and we can demand that the administration not send our kids to die for a war that we don’t need.” 

Murphy also added, “I don’t have any obligation to fund a Department of Homeland Security that is violating the law every day, just like I don’t have any obligation to support this war that is illegal as well.”