Scalise on DHS Shutdown: It is a Disgrace What Democrats are Doing to Hardworking Families

WASHINGTON, D.C.-Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), Congressman Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.), and Congressman Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) to discuss Democrats repeatedly voting against funding the Department of Homeland Security, forcing over 100,000 employees to work without pay, risking America's security, and causing chaos at airports across the country.

Click hereor the image above to view Leader Scalise's full remarks.

Highlights from Leader Scalise's remarks:

On Democrats creating chaos at airports:

"It's a sad moment that we're up here still talking about the fact that the Democrats continue to shut down the Department of Homeland Security. We've given them multiple opportunities to do the right thing. When you see lines at every airport, people waiting hours and hours at my home airport in New Orleans, Louis Armstrong International, you've got people sleeping overnight the night before flights so that they can have a chance of making their flight. And for what? Because Democrats want to have yet another tantrum and create chaos in this country because they're angry with the results of the 2024 election. It's time for Democrats to grow up and act like adults."

On Democrats holding DHS employees' paychecks hostage:

"Tomorrow will mark the 8th time that we will have a vote in Congress to fund the Department of Homeland Security. 8 times, Democrats will have an opportunity to do the right thing. And you can go look at the votes. Watch the vote tomorrow. Watch the rhetoric from Democrats. Democrats are saying, 'Oh, we want to fund TSA,' except they all keep voting against the funding for TSA. And if you think this is the first time they've done it, they had a shutdown, a record shutdown, just a few months earlier.

"Think about this statistic. For those workers, TSA workers, that many of them live paycheck to paycheck, they have gone 49% of this fiscal year without a paycheck. A TSA worker here in America has spent the last fiscal year, 49% of that time, they've gone without pay. It's disgraceful what Democrats keep doing to hardworking families. These are people that have to put food on the table. These are people that have a mortgage to meet, that have to pay rent, that have to pay a car note. Maybe they've got a kid in school. And Democrats really don't care about the 100,000+ workers at the Department of Homeland Security, whether it be at TSA or whether it be at FEMA or the Coast Guard."

On the dangerous consequences of Biden's open borders:

"Now, [Democrats have] done this over and over again. For what? Because they want open borders. They want to defund the police. They've done it over and over again. They made it crystal clear.

"And you would think we've got the safest times in American history. We've had 4 terrorist attacks on our home soil just in the last month. New York, Michigan, Virginia, and Texas have had terrorist attacks in March while Democrats are voting to shut down the Department of Homeland Security. And of course, it's been brought up: Sheridan Gorman, beautiful young girl with her future before her, murdered by an illegal who was let in during the Joe Biden open border. And Hakeem Jeffries, the Democrat leader, can't even say he would have wanted him deported after he committed more crimes after he came here illegally before he murdered her. This is how far the Democrat Party has gone off the rails. They are a party that has lost their way, and millions of people are suffering."

On Democrats repeatedly refusing to fund DHS:

"We're going to have an opportunity tomorrow for them to do the right thing. I hope they do the right thing. It's time Democrats end the madness of keeping the Department of Homeland Security shut down at this critical time. It's time they do the right thing. We'll give them that opportunity again tomorrow, and we'll see. There will be a vote that all America can look at, and it'll be the 8th time, not the first time, the 8th time Democrats will have a chance to do the right thing and fund this department.

"If you in America are waiting in a line for 3, 4 hours, or missed a flight and you want to know who's responsible, look at the vote on the House floor tomorrow. You will see a yes column and a no column - who voted yes to fund this department and open TSA up, and fund these people that have to go to work and put food on the table for their families, and who's going to vote no to deny that ability and make people keep missing flights. Watch that vote tomorrow."