Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., accused Democrats in Congress of engaging in political "showboating" as a shutdown deadline looms.
In an interview with Newsmax on Friday, Tenney argued their opposition to funding the Department of Homeland Security — particularly Immigration and Customs Enforcement — is aimed at appeasing the party's far-left base.
"It's about a stunt," Tenney said on "National Report." "The Democrats need to show their base that they're going to stand up and do something about ICE, because that's what their base is asking them to do."
Tenney argued that pressure from progressive activists — including what she described as "the far-left anti-police group that actually is driving the Democratic Party in many ways" — is fueling the fight, despite Congress having already acted on DHS funding.
"We already passed the bill in the House," she said. "DHS funding was mostly passed during the 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' last year. So they're really just quibbling over something that is a show vote."
According to Tenney, the dispute risks real-world consequences for Americans who rely on federal security and emergency services.
"And it really just is unfair to the rest of the American people who want security and safety," she said. "And also, this is going to disrupt TSA, the Coast Guard, and FEMA, which is really important. And now, we're going to put all that at risk because the Democrats need to show vote for their base."
Tenney rebutted Democrat claims that the funding fight is about accountability at DHS, saying those mechanisms are already in place.
"If they want more accountability in DHS, it's already in the law," she said. "They got to do something to make it look like they're doing something."
She dismissed the broader effort as political theater, adding, "It's really just a bunch of, you know, ridiculous showboating and performance art to me."
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