Scalise Highlights Democrat Leadership’s Hypocrisy on DHS Shutdown
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today on the House floor, before 206 Democrats voted against funding the Department of Homeland Security, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) called out Democrats for prolonging Americans' suffering. Leader Scalise highlighted Democrat hypocrisy by pointing to Hakeem Jeffries' past remarks, calling it 'legislative malpractice' to not fully fund DHS.'
Click here or the image above to view Leader Scalise's full remarks.
Highlights from Leader Scalise's remarks:
“I rise in strong support of Congressman Ciscomani's bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. And Madam Speaker, this is a bill that should have passed weeks and weeks ago. In fact, today will mark the third time that this House has voted to fully fund the department. In case you want to know how that vote went, there's been a record vote twice already in the House. You can see who's voting yes to fund TSA agents, to fund the people at the Department of Homeland Security who work every day to keep us safe here in America – all the Republicans, almost every Republican voting yes, every one on March 5th. Almost every Democrat voted no on March 5th, voted no to shut the department down. The Democrats shut this down, Madam Speaker.
“January 22nd was the first vote. Almost a party-line vote. Republicans voting yes to fund the department. Democrats voting no. March 5th, same thing. Republicans voting yes to fund the department, Democrats overwhelmingly voting no to shut it down.
“Now, there is a day today where they can seek redemption and stand up for those workers, the TSA agents who are showing up for work and not getting paid. Do you know that if you're a TSA agent in America, this fiscal year, Madam Speaker, you have gone 49% of this year without a paycheck? That's disgraceful...
“At my home airport in New Orleans, people were sleeping overnight so they'd have a chance to make their flight. There are people waiting over 3 hours and still missing a flight, Madam Speaker, to go maybe on a family vacation, maybe they've got to go to a funeral or a wedding. This is disrupting the lives of real people. Let me tell you what the TSA [Deputy Administrator] testified to yesterday, just yesterday. The TSA [Deputy Administrator] told lawmakers that their agents have 'received eviction notices, lost their childcare, missed bill payments, and been charged late fees, damaged their credit, defaulted on loans, and have been unable to even qualify for a loan to help ease the financial burden during the shutdown.' That was testimony given yesterday, and it's totally avoidable. That kind of pain should not be inflicted on our federal workers.
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“We're going to give [Democrats] an opportunity to do the right thing because the American people are sick and tired of it, and they should be. But there's going to be a moment of accountability real soon. In about an hour, America will be able to see who's voting yes to fund these people that are working so hard and who's voting no to keep the chaos going, to keep the long lines going.
“Now, I'd like to say I'm going to read you some good news. I want to read you a quote from Hakeem Jeffries. Madam Speaker, I think this is an important quote that everybody should listen to right now. This is Hakeem Jeffries, and I quote, 'We are here today to do a single job, and that should be to fund fully the Department of Homeland Security. Anything else is an abdication of our responsibility. Anything else is an act of legislative malpractice. We're playing political games at a time when the safety and the security of the American people is being threatened.' That's Hakeem Jeffries, Madam Speaker. Unfortunately, that was Hakeem Jeffries from February of 2015. What happened to that Hakeem Jeffries? How will Hakeem Jeffries of 2026 vote? The previous two times, we know, Madam Speaker, the vote was no. But in 2015, said it would be an act of malpractice to shut this department down.”