Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson urged lawmakers to "stop the madness" and end the partial government shutdown.
"I'm not taking sides. But I am going to say this: The most basic function of our government and our Congress is to appropriate money," Johnson said Sunday on the "Cats Roundtable" radio show hosted by John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 AM.
"Keep the lights on. Keep the government functioning."
"Our Congress and our president [Donald Trump] are failing to do that right now. We are in a time when, because of the war with Iran, a heightened threat environment [exists]."
Funding for the department lapsed on Feb. 14, as Democrats refused to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as Customs and Border Protection without changes to their operations in the wake of the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.
Democrats have demanded an array of policy changes that include requiring ICE agents to get a warrant from a judge before forcefully entering homes, requiring clear identifying information on uniforms and the removal of masks, mandating the use of body-worn cameras, allowing independent investigations into misconduct, and prohibiting operations at sensitive locations like schools, churches, and polling places.
The vast majority of Homeland Security workers are considered essential and continue to work during a shutdown. But more than 120,000 of them are working without pay.
This follows last fall's 43-day shutdown, during which some federal workers visited food banks to make ends meet.
Democrats made another attempt Thursday to fund most Homeland Security agencies — but not ICE and CBP. Republicans blocked the measure, insisting that the department not be funded piecemeal.
Johnson said, "It used to be annual. Now it's occurring several times a year, and I'm afraid it's only going to get worse unless somebody, through strong leadership, intervenes and says, stop the madness."
"And you can't punish the workers; it's not their fault," he added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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