Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., did not mince words Thursday on Newsmax, calling the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown the "stupidest" in American history.
He blamed Democrats for what he described as a manufactured crisis.
"Look, this is the stupidest shutdown in U.S. history," Alford told "Wake Up America." "I thought the one back in November, the longest shutdown in U.S. history, was dumb.
"This one is even dumber."
He argued Democrats are driving the standoff because they "have no message, no vision, no leader," and are "trying to grasp at straws to create subject matter for the midterms, to get the public on their side."
Alford said the real dispute centers on immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump, which he noted was a key campaign promise.
"Seventy-four million Americans voted for this platform — this plank in this platform — to deport illegal aliens, especially criminal illegal aliens," he said. "They don't like the way that ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] is going about that, and so, they have decided to shut down the government."
Alford said ICE funding itself is not in question, noting Republicans have already secured resources for the agency through 2028.
"We funded — fully funded — ICE through the one big, beautiful bill for four years," he said.
At present, the only appropriation bill that the Senate is "holding out on" is the one that funds DHS, said Alford, noting the measure provides $20 million in funding for body cameras as well as money for additional training for ICE officers.
"So really, they have no leg to stand on," he said.
"They're trying to make a stink. I think they're going to make an even bigger stink Tuesday, when the president addresses the joint members of Congress for … his annual State of the Union address, and then it will probably be over."
Alford predicted that the American people are not "going to put up with another stupid shutdown on the part of the Democrats," saying that "the pressure started building in November when people couldn't fly" and pointing to the upcoming spring break period.
"They're not punishing ICE," he said of the Democrats. "They're punishing the Coast Guard not getting paid, Secret Service not getting paid, FEMA not getting paid."
Once the pressure starts to mount on Democrats, Alford said, they're "going to see that they are wrong, once again."
"They're going to give in to this, and it will all be for naught," he said.
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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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