Sunday Show Hosts Confront Senate Democrats On Shutting Down DHS Amid Iran War: ‘Is It Responsible… With the Threat of Terror Attacks?’

There was a common question that stood out if you watched several of the Sunday shows this week — why have Democrats not voted to fund the Department of Homeland Security?

CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) that question, and NBC’s Kristen Welker posed it as well when she spoke with Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) on Meet the Press.

Welker asked how Schiff and other Democrats could hold off on funding DHS, following a string of suspected terror attacks in the last week.

“Senator, I do have to ask you just finally about this partial government shutdown, DHS not being funded for a month now. Just this week we saw terror attacks in West Bloomfield, Michigan, in Norfolk, Virginia,” Welker started off her final question for Schiff. “This morning the CEOs of the nation’s major airlines and cargo carriers have written a letter to Congress, calling for them to end the shutdown, talking about the importance of American security in the airways.”

She then asked, “Is it responsible for Democrats to hold up DHS funding with the threat of terror attacks looming during this conflict?”

Schiff blamed Republicans for the lack of funding.

Here is his answer:

So Kristen, as you know, we offered vote after vote, resolution after resolution, even as recently as this week to reopen those agencies, to fund them, and the Republicans voted it down. We said, “Let’s wall off ICE funding. Let’s fund these other agencies that protect the country,” and the Republicans, one after another, voted them down. Voted down funding TSA, voted down funding the Coast Guard, voted down funding FEMA.

So Republicans are controlling both houses and the presidency. They can’t very well blame the minority party for their own inability to govern, particularly when they’re voting down Democratic motions to reopen these agencies.

Watch that exchange in the video above.

And Tapper had the same question on his mind while talking to Booker on CNN’s State of the Union.

Tapper pointed out there here have been several suspected terror attacks recently but Democrats appear to be committed to not funding DHS, in response to President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. He added Dems could argue they’ve already “won” the debate with Trump on that matter, considering DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was recently fired.

“Isn’t it time for Democrats to to reopen and refund DHS?” Tapper then asked.

Booker first started to blame the Republicans, like Schiff.

“So, first of all, Democrats have tried multiple times to try to get TSA, CISA, the Coast Guard funded. Republicans have refused time and time again to fund—” Booker started to answer before Tapper jumped in.

“Yes, they want the whole agency funded,” the host said.

Booker then shifted to bashing ICE. He said it is hard to vote for funding DHS when ICE is still “out there doing reckless things.”

“ICE is still arresting and detaining American citizens. ICE is still having unmasked people jump out of unmarked cars abducting people from the streets, barreling into homes. Even Americans, even veterans are being swept up in ICE’s chaos,” Booker continued.

“I will not approve another dollar for ICE, given all that they’re doing, but we should be funding those TSA agents that keep us safe, CISA, Coast Guard. And for Republicans to refuse to do it is unacceptable,” he added.

He then ripped Trump before the segment ended, saying he is “not keeping America safer.” Trump is actually “making it more dangerous” by allowing “lawless people in our communities” to do “lawless things,” Booker claimed.

You can watch that clip above.

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