Leader Schumer Floor Remarks And Debate With Leader Thune Demanding Republicans End Their Blockade And Support Democrats’ Legislation To Fund All Of DHS Except For ICE And CBP[...]

Washington, D.C. - Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke on the Senate floor, and debated with Leader John Thune (R-SD), to demand Republicans end their blockade of TSA, CISA, FEMA, and Coast Guard funding and support Democrats' unanimous consent requests to fund all of DHS except ICE and CBP as the parties negotiate on reforms to rein in ICE. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Leader Schumer: Yesterday, for the second time in less than a week, Republicans were given an opportunity to fund TSA, fund FEMA, stand up for our Coast Guard, and make sure core DHS operations are funded while negotiations on ICE and Border Patrol continue. And for the second time in less than a week, Republicans said no.

Well, we are going to give them another opportunity this morning, later this morning, another opportunity to end their blockade of TSA. We're giving Republicans the opportunity to end their blockade of FEMA. We're giving Republicans the opportunity to end their blockade of CISA, and to end their blockade of Coast Guard, and much else.

The bottom line is very simple. It's easy. You don't have to follow politics closely to see it. Democrats are ready to fund TSA, Republicans are blocking it. Democrats are ready to fund CISA, Republicans are blocking it. Democrats are ready to fund FEMA, and Coast Guard, and most of DHS operations. We will give Republicans another chance to say yes.

We all know that we do not have agreement on how to deal with ICE. We know, very simply, that Democrats just want ICE to behave like any police department in America and use warrants and not wear masks. But we don't have to tie that disagreement up and use people at the airports and American citizens as hostages, and say, "we're not going to fund FEMA, we're not going to fund TSA, unless you give into our unreasonable and unpopular demands on reforming ICE." So, we're going to offer these bills one at a time and see where our Republican colleagues go.

We know that the only thing Republicans need to do is stay out of the way and these programs will be funded today, and problems at the airport will go away.

Leader Thune: Will the Democrat Leader yield?

Schumer: I will.

Thune: So, I assume the Democrat Leader is aware of the fact that we have tried repeatedly to fund everything temporarily to allow the negotiations over the ICE budget to continue.

Schumer: I am well aware, but that hasn't worked. What can work -

Thune: The reason that hasn't worked -

Schumer: No, no. I am not yielding back.

Thune: The reason that hasn't worked is because the Democrats have blocked it.

Schumer: The bottom line is Democrats are ready today. America, watch-we will have members on the floor saying, "Let's fund TSA with no other preconditions." What will Republicans do? They're going to see Republicans get up and block it. It's that simple. Now, my friend the Republican Leader says, well, you'll only get it if you go along with what we want on ICE and what we want on Border Patrol, highly unpopular and wrong. So, who's standing in the way? America, look at it. We're not putting any preconditions on funding TSA, the Republicans are. And why?

Thune: Will the Democrat Leader yield?

Schumer: I will not yield. In a minute. Why, because Republicans are in obeisance to Donald Trump's insistence of having these marauding forces of ICE go through our cities. We saw what they did in Minneapolis. We saw what they did in Los Angeles. We saw what they did in other places. Americans don't like it. Trump's numbers have suffered. And so, it's simple: don't attach preconditions. Fund TSA. Fund CISA. You'll have that opportunity in a few hours. And if you get up and block it and say, we'll only do it unless this or that happens, Americans will know who is to blame. I yield.

Thune: Well, I would just say again to the Democrat Leader that the Democrats have had multiple opportunities, and we'll have another one today, to provide funding for all of the agencies that he just mentioned, to allow us to consider under a continuing resolution, to allow us to consider how we're going to resolve the DHS issues that the Democrat leader has raised, which are being negotiated, I might add, at the moment, between Democrats and Republicans and the White House. There will be an attempt. The Democrats will have an opportunity to block, because they have now repeatedly, a continuing resolution would fund all the agencies to which you just alluded and allow us more time to negotiate. So, those agencies can be funded if the Democrats -

Schumer: Would my colleague yield for a question? Will he support, without any Republican blocking it, a straight motion to just deal with TSA and get it funded, while we're trying to work out these negotiations? Will he support that? No ifs, ands, or buts-no preconditions but just get it done. Will he support that?

Thune: I would support a resolution which will be offered to fund not just TSA, but Coast Guard, cybersecurity, CISA, FEMA, other agencies and departments of our government that are essential not only to national security and homeland security, but to making sure that people can move through our airports in this country, that the FEMA, Federal Emergency Management Agency, has the ability to respond to disasters. Those are things, to my friend, the Democrat Leader, that could all be funded today and then we can continue this discussion that he wants to have, which, again, there has been offers made repeatedly, the most recent of which was 13 days ago, I think, from the White House and the Democrats have yet to respond to.

Schumer: Reclaiming my time. I rest my case. What the Leader is saying is, he will only fund TSA if we will continue to fund for a short time, for a long time, ICE, and Border Patrol, which he knows is gridlocked, which he knows we don't agree with, and so it's clear. He's made it clear. Just fund TSA. That's it. He has a lot of rigamarole attached funding TSA, but do this, but do that, but do this - you can't win the argument, Leader. It's simple. We're being clear. We're being concise.

So, the question is very simple. I say to my Republican friends, support the legislation that's coming on the floor today, and if you do, TSA is funded like that. Every Democrat is for it. My guess is three-quarters of Republicans are wishing they'd be for it, but their leadership is insisting on attaching preconditions on ICE negotiations and Border Patrol negotiations.

So, all I say to my Republican colleagues, stop the speeches that you care about TSA. Don't talk the talk, walk the walk. Let the legislation that we are proposing go forward, without blocking it, and TSA will be back to work. Our lines at the airport will go.

And then we'll have legislation on CISA. Don't talk to us about the need for safety and then block legislation that allows CISA to go through. That's hypocrisy. Just let it go through. And I know that our Republican leadership knows that we have the high ground here, knows that the people are on our side.

And why do Republicans do this? Why won't they budge to give an inch on ICE, which is highly unpopular and even the president has said hasn't done things right? That's the mystery, but it's probably because some in the right wing insist it, and we know that the hard right runs this party, and that's why they're doing so poorly with the American people right now, that's why we Democrats are on the ascent, because we're with the American people.

The American people say "fund TSA now, and you can debate ICE." There's been a debate on ICE. We believe we're right. We believe something as simple as warrants should be used by ICE, when you bust into someone's house. We believe simply that ICE agents should not be masked whenever police department and sheriff's department is identified, and the American people are with us. But we don't even have to debate that today. Because what Republicans are doing is insisting that we don't change a thing about ICE before we move forward on TSA. That's wrong, that's using the American people as hostages, and we're not going to do it.

And I remind my Republican colleagues, we're going to be back here again and again, winning this debate, and eventually winning the American people, which we'll say to you folks on the Republican side - you better stop this blockade of TSA, of CISA, of FEMA, and of the Coast Guard. You better stop using them as hostages until you get your way on ICE and on CBP, where you're out of touch with the American people.

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