Politics

Mullin: DHS Faces Payroll Crisis as Shutdown Continues

Are Democrats blocking DHS funding to protect open borders or are Republicans sabotaging bipartisan deals to avoid accountability?

Published 2 days ago

Mullin: DHS Faces Payroll Crisis as Shutdown Continues

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Above: DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin on March 26, 2026. Image credit: Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Spin

Republican narrative

Democrats have kept DHS shut down for months, choosing open borders over the paychecks of hardworking law enforcement. This is the longest shutdown in American history, and it's happening because Democrats would rather protect criminal illegal aliens than fund the agencies keeping Americans safe. Refusing to fund DHS is a betrayal of every American citizen, and voters need to remember that come November.

Trump Department of Homeland Security on X

Lindy Li on X

Mike Johnson on X

Democratic narrative

House Republicans refused to pass a bipartisan Senate bill to fund DHS — twice — meaning they own this shutdown. Democrats aren't blocking ICE funding out of nowhere; two American citizens were killed by federal agents with zero accountability, and basic reforms aren't radical requests. Republicans have blocked eight unanimous consent votes to pay TSA workers, and that record will define the 2026 midterms.

Chuck Schumer on X

Adam Kinzinger on Substack U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations