Schumer’s Irresponsible Political Games Enter Double Digits
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Contact: Olivia Porcaro 202-225-6165
Government shutdowns are not an efficient political strategy. Yet, Senator Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats have treated it as one throughout the entirety of President Trump’s term so far. After leveraging the American people for political gains last fall by orchestrating the longest shutdown in American history, Senator Schumer and his progressive caucus have again chosen to shut down a part of the U.S. government.
On February 13th, Senate Democrats refused to pass the full-year Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill for the fiscal year 2026, which had already passed through the House in a bipartisan vote – and yesterday, this DHS shutdown entered double digits.
It has officially been eleven days that the DHS has been operating without appropriated funding. The Democrats shut the government down intending to hurt President Trump’s effective immigration efforts, border wall construction, and removal operations. However, all of these items already have reserve funding from last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act and, therefore, will continue uninterrupted during this shutdown.
So, since the Trump Administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration has not and will not be affected by the shutdown, what is?
National security is setback. The safety of American families is jeopardized. TSA, Coast Guard, critical national security workers, and Secret Service agents are forced to work without pay. FEMA disaster response is delayed during a time when severe winter storms are battering communities throughout our nation. Cyber defenses and counterterrorism efforts are weakened. Law enforcement programs that protect children and trafficking victims are negatively impacted.
Many of these federal employees are still recovering from the 43 days they worked without pay last fall, also thanks to Senate Democrats. Now, those same workers are eleven days into yet another shutdown with no end in sight. These are the men and women who protect the American people and keep our nation secure from our ports of entry to our cybersecurity and infrastructure. They do not deserve this.
Put simply, this is not governance. It is political brinkmanship at the expense of economic stability and national security.
I said it last October and I will say it again: the American people and our safety should not be used as political leverage. I guess Senator Schumer and his allies do not care – once again. In fact, they seem to be so consumed by their hatred of President Trump that they would rather manufacture chaos than provide certainty to the very workforce that safeguards our nation every day.
It is past time for Senate Democrats to return to the basic obligation of governing: keeping the nation secure and funding the department charged with doing so. I urge them to quit the political gamesmanship now.