Democrats are putting public safety and disaster response at risk by threatening to defund the Department of Homeland Security, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said on Newsmax on Thursday.
She said that the funding supports critical functions far beyond immigration enforcement.
Speaking on "Newsline" amid a major winter storm impacting Tennessee and other regions, Blackburn said the department's resources include FEMA disaster aid, the Coast Guard, and Transportation Security Administration operations.
"To even think about defunding DHS when we are in the middle of a storm that has impacted 200 million Americans, and FEMA funding comes out of DHS," Blackburn said.
"Why would they even think about that?" she said. "It also funds the Coast Guard. There's a storm this weekend that is coming up the Eastern Shore."
"They need to think about what they're doing there," Blackburn insisted. "TSA and our workers at the airport, they would not have any funding."
Her comments came after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on President Donald Trump to remove Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, saying she had lost the trust of the public.
Blackburn pushed back, saying immigration enforcement should not be undermined, and suggested any review of Immigration and Customs Enforcement should begin with changes at the local level.
"Now, if they want to talk about ICE, that's a separate issue, and move that aside and then have a review of ICE," Blackburn said.
"Maybe we need to start with doing away with sanctuary city policies, and maybe local law enforcement in some of these sanctuary cities should be cooperating with ICE."
Blackburn said she has heard widespread concern from constituents about violent criminals and other offenders living in communities, and she blamed lax border policies under former President Joe Biden.
"I have not talked to one single, solitary person who wants to have criminals living in their neighborhood," Blackburn said. "People who have committed robbery, rape, murder, people that are pedophiles, people that are drug dealers, the worst of the worst, as they say."
Blackburn also addressed damage in Tennessee from a major ice storm, saying residents and businesses are still without power, and some have been told restoration could take weeks.
"It is inexcusable and they need to get people to get the power back on," Blackburn said. "I heard from someone at 4:30 this morning. They had been told it would be two weeks."
She said the storm has resulted in fatalities and urged viewers to support first responders and affected families.
"We've had eight fatalities from this storm," Blackburn said about her state. "I know that many of our linemen, our first responders, and local elected officials are hard at work to see people through this devastation."
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