When it comes to making a deal to pay the people who protect us, Democrats in Congress won’t take yes for an answer.
Just a month ago, they demanded that ICE withdraw from Minnesota and that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem be fired before they could vote to fund the agency. With Noem gone and ICE withdrawing from Minneapolis, Democrats appear to have gotten what they wanted. So why do Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his House colleague Hakeem Jeffries continue to punish their constituents during this ongoing partial government shutdown?
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., during a news conference following Senate Democrats’ policy lunches at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, March 3, 2026. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
How can refusing to pay the people who keep our airports safe be justified especially when we are at war with Iran, the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism?
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the answer is pure politics.
DHS SHUTDOWN COULD SLOW US TERROR RESPONSE TO IRAN CONFLICT, EXPERT WARNS
Make no mistake: Noem’s removal was a serious concession by President Donald Trump. After all, this is the woman who spearheaded the near-total closure of the southern border, perhaps the president’s top achievement.
As for the aggressive ICE tactics used in Minneapolis, while they were generally unpopular, a large number of voters in the MAGA base felt they did not go far enough. So yes, Noem’s scalp was a peace offering in some ways.
You’d think the Democratic leadership would do a choreographed end zone dance on the National Mall because of this win, but instead they’re still telling TSA agents, “Sorry, you can’t get paid yet, we like how things are trending.”
TWO SHOOTINGS STRENGTHEN DHS STANDOFF AS GOP WARNS OF INCREASING TERROR THREATS
The only relatively serious demand the Democrats have left, and I’m stretching the term to its limits here, is that officers be unmasked. This cannot happen due to documented doxxing incidents, but offers have been made to use ID numbers.
Passengers wait to go through security at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on August 31, 2023 in Austin, Texas (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
In short, the only real obstacle Democrats can point to on the way to restoring funding is themselves.
When asked why Democrats are so intransigent in the face of growing calls to open up the government and increase security lines at our airports, I regret to inform you that the answer is nothing but craven politics.
STEVE SCALISE RIPS DEMOCRATS FOR ‘PLAYING POLITICAL GAMES’ WITH DHS SHUTDOWN AGAINST IRAN THREAT
A year ago, Schumer made clear his goal was to get Trump’s approval rating below 42% by the midterm elections. The time is almost here, and the reason why remains last year’s shutdown, which was a great success for the Democrats.
On October 1, when the shutdown began, Trump’s approval rating was 46%. By the end of the shutdown this had fallen to 43% and gone from a net of -6 to -12. With a few slides and ladders along the way, that number has never recovered.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem testifies during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. (Graeme Sloan/Getty Images) (Graeme Sloan/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Democrats won governorships in New Jersey and Virginia while installing a communist as mayor of New York City. So yes, the Democrats and the far left won the last shutdown decisively.
TSA EMPLOYEES CAUSE MISSED PAY CHECKS, WHILE DEMOCRATS STRUGGLE ON DHS FUNDING
The difference today, of course, is that we are now at war and we have seen no fewer than four suspected radical Muslim terrorist attacks in our country in the past week, at least since the last time I checked.
Let’s go back to some basics. The agency whose funding is being held up here is literally called the ‘Department of Homeland Security’. It’s right there in the name. Not paying them is like playing in the Super Bowl and not funding your offensive line.
It seems pretty clear that Democrats in Congress don’t care if a few Americans die in preventable terrorist attacks. After all, they know that most of the media will just blame Trump anyway.
COAST GUARD CAUGHT AS ‘SPECIAL DAMAGE’ IN DHS SHUTDOWN BY DEMOCRATS AS CHINA, RUSSIA PRESSURE OUR WATER
Democrats’ stubbornness on this issue should also be considered in relation to the other major debate in Congress, over whether to break the Senate filibuster to pass the Save America Act, as Trump is demanding.
If Democrats are unwilling to win over DHS, if they are willing to punish TSA agents and endanger the nation to score political points, how can they be reliable partners in a filibuster process?
The filibuster assumes, and only works, if senators act in good faith. But Schumer and his radicals don’t do that. They use it as sand thrown into the gears of government to sabotage any progress.
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As for Trump, the White House should continue to insist that Democrats got what they wanted and are still willing to damage the country in the hope that a demoralized American electorate will hand them power in November.
What the Democrats are doing is despicable, unfair and dishonorable. What’s worse is that it might actually work.
