“Completely Avoidable”: Chairman Garbarino Condemns Democrats’ Obstruction of Essential DHS Funding, Urges Final Passage

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY) delivered remarks on the House floor in support of the rule providing for consideration of H.R. 7744, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been shut down since February 14 due to Senate Democrats' refusal to advance the House-passed, bipartisan full-year DHS funding bill, unnecessarily putting American communities at risk and placing a strain on frontline DHS personnel.

Read his remarks below and watch here.

"As Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, I rise today in support of the rule providing for consideration of H.R. 7744. As America faces heightened threats on U.S. soil and abroad, DHS is in the midst of its second major shutdown in six months because of Democrats' political games. This lapse in appropriations means a disruption in our nation's disaster preparedness, transportation security, and critical infrastructure resilience when we need it most.

"As a lifelong New Yorker, I find it outrageous that DHS continues to be undermined by Washington's dysfunction. Twenty-five years after the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, I urge my Democrat colleagues to not forget why this Department was established in the first place.

"As we speak, the vast majority of DHS personnel are once again continuing their essential missions to protect the American people without knowing when their next paycheck will be, while others have been furloughed, further undermining our preparedness.

"The frustrating reality is this was completely avoidable. House Republicans sent this bipartisan, bicameral deal on full-year DHS funding to the Senate nearly two months ago. This bill includes funding for body cameras, support for the DHS Office of Inspector General, additional resources for training, and new transparency and oversight requirements for ICE.

"By holding this bill up in the Senate, Democrats are blocking funding for FEMA's preparedness, response, and recovery efforts across the country. They are blocking funding for TSA ahead of major events like the World Cup. Democrats are blocking the Coast Guard operations that we use to counter our adversaries. They are blocking funding for our cybersecurity workforce, while Iran is attacking us daily in our cyber terrain.

"The security of our homeland is not a partisan talking point-it is an American imperative. Holding DHS hostage when lives and livelihoods are on the line is reckless. I urge Democrats to show their Senate counterparts to support this bill and do the right thing."

BACKGROUND:

In January, the House passed six final appropriations bills, including a bipartisan agreement to fund DHS for a full fiscal year. The legislation provided funding for body cameras, deescalation training, and resources for DHS's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to enhance transparency. Additionally, the House-passed version included vital funding to support the personnel and missions of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Coast Guard, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and more.

During a shutdown, many of the Department's more than 250,000 employees, who dedicate their lives to keeping the American people safe, are forced to work without pay. House Homeland Security Committee and Appropriations Committee Republicans issued statements condemning Senate Democrats' actions, warning that the funding lapse puts the safety and security of Americans at risk.

In the Committee's oversight hearing, leaders from U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) all testified that a DHS shutdown would undermine interagency coordination and hinder the department's ability to effectively carry out its core mission. The Committee also held a hearing with FIFA host city and law enforcement stakeholders who raised concerns about the potential impacts of the ongoing shutdown and federal funding delays on security preparations for these events. The House Appropriations Committee's Homeland Security Subcommittee also held a hearing in February on the impacts of a shutdown for DHS, where leaders from FEMA, TSA, CISA, and the U.S. Coast Guard emphasized similar concerns about the operational and security risks caused by a lapse in funding.

Numerous publications and outlets also highlighted the impacts on different DHS components:

• The shutdown may disrupt several ongoing investigations being led by the agency's Office of Inspector General, affecting the ability to conduct thorough oversight of DHS and its components.
• The shutdown is also the second time in the past six months that TSA workers are expected to work without pay, with more than 90 percent of the agency's employees considered essential. During the last shutdown, TSA saw "increased rates of unscheduled absences and localized spikes in wait times," which are expected again during this shutdown as spring travel begins to rise.
• CISA leaders told House appropriators that just one-third of the agency's employees would remain on the job under a shutdown, significantly impairing CISA's ability to conduct "cyber incident response, security assessments, stakeholder engagements, training exercises, and special event planning."
• During the last shutdown, "nearly 85 percent of FEMA employees " continued to work without pay, which is expected to recur with the current funding lapse. Emergency response efforts could be strained and disaster relief reimbursements may be delayed, potentially slowing recovery efforts for affected communities.

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