Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., warned Monday that Democrats' refusal to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security is "unacceptable."
He told Newsmax that the standoff comes as the U.S. faces mounting threats at home.
Appearing on Newsmax's "Wake Up America," Haridopolos argued there is no excuse for withholding money from DHS, especially for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol, as recent attacks in Michigan, Virginia, and Texas underscore the urgency of securing the homeland.
"Well, it's a must," he said when asked about the funding. "As you know, we are facing challenges right here in the homeland — in Michigan, two attacks, in Virginia and also in Texas."
Haridopolos said Democrats are blocking funding for the agencies charged with protecting Americans. He framed the impasse not as a policy dispute but as a political choice with dangerous consequences.
"We're facing attacks right now, and the Democrats refuse to fully fund DHS, and the most important elements of it, including Border Patrol and ICE, for politics," Haridopolos said. "There's no other reason."
The congressman also accused his Democrat colleagues of helping create the crisis they are now refusing to address. Haridopolos said the same party that opened the border is now standing in the way of enforcement.
"First, they allowed 10 million people in the country," he said. "Then they wouldn't allow law enforcement to help because of sanctuary city policies to remove a lot of these violent offenders.
"And now they won't fund the agency."
Haridopolos said Republicans are pushing to fund the entire DHS mission while making clear that immigration enforcement and border security remain top priorities. Those issues, he said, helped deliver the GOP congressional majority two years ago.
"And so we're doing everything possible to get the entire portion of DHS, not just parts, but the entire portion," Haridopolos said. "And we think the most important portion is ICE and border security, because those are the very issues that we won the majority on in 2024."
Because Democrats "won't work with us at all," he said Republicans will have to rely on a legislative tool known as the reconciliation process, which allows certain budget-related bills to pass the Senate with a simple majority, bypassing the 60-vote filibuster threshold.
"Sadly, because Democrats won't work with us at all, we've got to use reconciliation to get it done," he said. "That's the matrix we're playing with right now."
The Florida Republican said Democrats "play politics with people's lives too often," adding, "It's unacceptable."
"It seems like the Democrats have left the field," he said. "All they want to do is point the fingers. ... It's really, it's really a disgusting situation."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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