U.S. Senator Katie Britt Calls Out Democrats for Failing to Come to the Table Amid DHS Funding Negotiations

'We've heard more from our Democratic colleagues today on the floor than we have heard in the last [40] days.'

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) spoke on the Senate floor today calling out Democrats for failing to sit down with Republicans to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It has now been 26 days since DHS has been shut down.

On Democrats' Defund the Police and open borders proposal:

"We have political games being played by our Democratic colleagues instead of putting the people of this nation first. Mr. President, what we've just seen put forth by the Senator from Washington would effectively defund our law enforcement officers that are charged with keeping Americans safe. Look, we're not going back to the era of defund police. We're not doing it.

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"Mr. President, interestingly, what the Senator from Washington has put forth actually undermines the people of her very state. Back in 2023, when the DHS bill passed out of committee, she had this to say: 'Washington state's economy depends on our ability to ensure goods and people can move through our ports and borders in an orderly and timely way. Our national security depends on the ability to do this while stopping threats like drug trafficking and fentanyl. This bill provides critical funding to stop the flow of fentanyl at its source, at our borders, and protect communities in Washington state and across our country…' But today, she stands ready to defund the very people who make this happen."

On Democrats' refusal to sit down with Republicans for 40 days:

"We would like that opportunity to continue funding the Department of Homeland Security in its entirety. … It's incumbent upon each and every one of us to figure out a pathway forward. We've heard more from our Democratic colleagues today on the floor than we have heard in the last [40] days. The last offer went back over to Democrats 13 days ago … Look, the people who sent us here expect more. They expect us to have tough conversations. They expect us to figure out a pathway forward. And that's exactly what we're trying to do today."

On Senate Democrats setting a dangerous precedent for appropriations funding bills:

"…[D]on't change the rules of the game … The Senate is supposed to function in a meaningful way to do the work for the people that we serve. Coming out here and wanting to carve this or that without ever sitting down with your colleagues on the other side to talk about a pathway forward or to even talk about this plan is disingenuous. And it's starting a new norm … And if this is the approach that we took, you would say we were breaking the Senate."

On Democrats putting political posturing ahead of finding a pathway forward for the American people:

"Why are you playing politics with people's lives? Let's talk about a pathway forward … But grandstanding and political posturing is not the answer, Mr. President, And I am disappointed that my Democratic colleagues just blocked funding for TSA. They just blocked funding for FEMA. Why? I do not know, but I am hopeful they'll come to the table so that we can find a pathway forward."

You can watch the Senator's remarks here, and her continued debate on the Senate floor here and here.

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