Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., claimed it was "not fair" to argue that Senate Democrats were holding up Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding for "political posturing" on Thursday.
Schumer spoke to CNN's "Situation Room" about the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown after Senate Democrats demanded tighter restrictions on Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).
Though the shutdown has caused disruptions within the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), ICE and Border Patrol have been largely unaffected after previously receiving funding last year in the One Big Beautiful Bill, leading Blitzer to ask Schumer what the purpose of the shutdown was.
VAN HOLLEN CLASHES WITH ABC HOST OVER WHAT DEMOCRATS ACTUALLY GOT FROM THE DHS SHUTDOWN FIGHT
"What do you say to those critics who argue that both ICE and Border Patrol are already set with funding millions and millions of dollars because of President [Donald] Trump‘s so-called Big Beautiful Bill that passed months ago?" Blitzer asked. "So Democrats just held up this legislation for what? For political posturing? Is that right?"
"Well, that‘s not fair at all," Schumer answered. "We held it up because we wanted, as I mentioned before, to reform ICE and CBP, which are lawless. The American people are totally on our side. I think by 2 to 1 or close to that, they want it reformed. And that‘s what we‘re pushing for. We‘re not going to fund a lawless ICE and a lawless CBP, and the American people are overwhelmingly on our side on that."
"But they‘re already funded. Right?" Blitzer repeated.
ILHAN OMAR ADMITS DEMS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR DHS SHUTDOWN
"Well, if they put funding in from their other bills and want to keep funding a lawless ICE, a lawless CBP that creates chaos in our cities, it‘s on their back. We‘re not going to participate in that," Schumer responded.
Last week, Trump signed an executive order providing pay to TSA agents, many of whom had not received a paycheck since February. Despite the strain on workers, Schumer refused to give Trump credit for the order.
"We‘ve been trying to do it for three weeks, and Trump has opposed it. We proposed funding all of those other agencies, not ICE and CBP, until they reform, but all the other agencies. And they said no. And so, the best way to get them paid was for [Speaker Mike] Johnson to put the bill that the Senate passed this morning with [GOP Senate Majority Leader John] Thune‘s leadership on the floor, and we pass it," Schumer said.
SCHIFF, BOOKER DEFLECT ON SHUTDOWN BLAME AMID TERROR CONCERNS, THOUSANDS OF DHS WORKERS WITHOUT PAY
In a comment to Fox News Digital, a Thune spokesperson pointed to comments the Majority Leader made earlier on "America's Newsroom."
"[For] Democrats…it was all about ‘reforms,’ restrictions on ICE and on CBP agents and what they could or couldn’t do. They got none of that. They got zero of the reforms that they were advocating for. In the end, this was all about their left-wing base demanding that no funding be provided," Thune said.
The Senate agreed via voice vote on Thursday to send a bipartisan deal funding the whole of DHS except for Trump's immigration enforcement and border security efforts to the House for consideration. The chamber is not expected to vote on the legislation until House lawmakers return to Washington on April 13.
