House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said the chaos at Saturday night's White House Correspondents' Association dinner underscores the urgency of fully funding the Department of Homeland Security.
Johnson warned Monday on Newsmax that the U.S. faces a "heightened threat environment."
On "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," Johnson described the moment security rushed him out of the ballroom after reports of gunfire.
"When the chaos began, I was up on the elevated platform around the perimeter of that giant ballroom," Johnson said, noting the event drew more than 2,500 attendees. "I didn't even hear the commotion. And the next thing I know, half of my security team grabs me by the shoulders and pushes me out the nearest door ... and everybody [was] screaming, 'shots fired.'"
Johnson said his wife was escorted out separately as security teams moved quickly to evacuate officials and guests.
"The other half of my team went to grab my wife," he said. "They took her out another door. We met in our motorcade ... and just waited for further developments."
The incident, which caused panic among attendees, became a focal point in Johnson's broader argument that Congress must act immediately to fund DHS.
DHS has been partially shut down since February because Democrats have objected to the Trump administration's immigration enforcement methods.
"Events like Saturday night illustrate once again what a heightened threat environment we live in, and what a dangerous time this is," Johnson said. "This is no time to be playing political games."
Johnson said House Republicans have already passed funding for DHS several times, and accused Democrats of refusing to support key components, particularly agencies tied to immigration enforcement and border security.
"Four times now House Republicans have fully funded the Department of Homeland Security," he said. "And shockingly, the Democrats have decided they don't want to be any part of funding large parts of that department."
With negotiations stalled, Johnson said Republicans plan to move forward using reconciliation to pass funding on their own if necessary.
"We're going to have to get the entire department funded immediately," he said, adding, "I hope, I pray that some Democrats will come along, but I don't believe they're going to."
Johnson emphasized the urgency, citing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin's warning that emergency funds are nearly exhausted.
"He says, 'look, we literally run out of even the emergency funds at the end of this week,'" Johnson said. "So, there's no time to waste."
While expressing hope that the weekend's scare might shift Democrats' views, Johnson remained skeptical.
"After traumatic events like that, it typically does have the effect of drawing people back together," he said. "We'll see who's come to their senses. I'm a little jaded about all of it right now."
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