Rep. Timmons to Newsmax: Dems' DHS Closure Dangerous

Rep. William Timmons, R-S.C., on Monday accused Democrats of obstructing national security funding and a proposed White House ballroom project in the aftermath of a shooting that disrupted the White House Correspondents' Dinner over the weekend.

The Saturday night attack at the Washington Hilton, where President Donald Trump, Cabinet officials and journalists were gathered, sent attendees scrambling as gunfire erupted and Secret Service agents rushed the president to safety.

Authorities say a suspect opened fire near the ballroom, injuring a Secret Service agent who was protected by a bulletproof vest, before being taken into custody, as the event was ultimately canceled.

The incident has intensified debate in Washington over security, government funding, and Trump's push to build a more secure event space at the White House.

Timmons, in an interview with Newsmax TV's "Wake Up America" on Monday, pointed to the violence as evidence that Congress must act immediately to fund DHS and improve protections for federal officials.

"It's getting worse and worse," Timmons said. "I think the biggest thing for me is that Department of Homeland Security is not funded. The Democrats refuse to fund the people responsible for protecting us."

He added that the situation could have been far worse given current global tensions and domestic vulnerabilities.

"This could have been much, much worse," Timmons said. "We currently have a conflict in Iran. And Biden let 20 million people across the southern border. We need to fund the people that are responsible for protecting us."

The DHS funding lapse, driven by a partisan dispute over immigration enforcement and ICE funding, has left parts of the agency operating without full appropriations, even as lawmakers face heightened security concerns following the shooting.

Timmons sharply criticized Democrats for opposing Trump's proposed White House ballroom, which the president and allies argue would provide a more secure venue for high-profile gatherings than off-site locations like the Hilton.

"Trump Derangement Syndrome is real," Timmons said. "And it doesn't matter what the president wants to do. The Democrats are against it."

He argued the weekend's events underscore the need for such a facility.

"We got to fund the government. We got to build a place that we can safely gather in this new, tragic climate," Timmons said. "But it's the world we got to live in. So we got to protect our elected officials."

Democrats have pushed back on both fronts, with some arguing DHS funding should move forward only if Immigration and Customs Enforcement is addressed separately, while others have raised legal and oversight concerns about the ballroom project.

Timmons dismissed those arguments as obstruction.

"It's so easy to fund the government," he said. "It's so easy to build a structure where there currently is nothing. And the Democrats are blocking the building of the new ballroom in court, and they're blocking funding the government in Congress."

The South Carolina Republican suggested Republicans may move ahead without Democratic support if the impasse continues.

"I think we just have to do the job that they refuse to do," Timmons said, adding that GOP lawmakers are pursuing plans to fund "ICE and all of Homeland Security for three years."

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