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Lawmaker urges passage of DHS funding bill to reopen most of the department
Summary
A lawmaker urged colleagues to pass a Department of Homeland Security funding bill that, the speaker said, would allow most DHS functions to reopen and criticized House Republicans for preferring to keep parts of the agency closed rather than rely on bipartisan support.
A lawmaker urged colleagues to pass a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security and said doing so would allow most of the department to reopen.
The lawmaker said Democrats "are ready to vote for that bill" and argued that "Speaker Johnson's worst fear" is being forced to rely on a bipartisan majority to get legislation done, framing the reluctance of some House Republicans as a political choice rather than a policy necessity. "Pass the bill. Open the department," the lawmaker said.
The speaker contended there is "a bipartisan consensus in the Senate" and expressed confidence that the Senate could approve the measure. The lawmaker added the bill would "open up all aspects of the Department of Homeland Security except a couple of narrow departments which are getting funded through a separate process," indicating the proposal would not cover every component of DHS.
The remarks centered on process and urgency rather than on the bill's detailed language; the transcript contains no formal motion, amendment text, or recorded vote. No other speakers or responses to the assertions appear in the provided transcript.
