06.05.26

Senate Republicans Overcome the Defund-the-Police Democrats

Having Forced the Senate to Vote in the Dead of Night, Senate Democrats Universally Attempted to Block Even a Single Penny From Going Toward the Brave Men and Women Who Keep America’s Borders Secure

ALL DAY AND NIGHT, DEMOCRATS OFFERED AMENDMENT AFTER AMENDMENT TO STRIP BORDER ENFORCEMENT FUNDING FROM THE SECURE AMERICA ACT, WHILE CONTINUING TO DENIGRATE BORDER SECURITY OFFICERS

“Sen Republicans backed the blue by fully funding ICE/CBP thru 2029. Democrats want 2 drag America back to open borders & defunding the police But Republicans' promise for SAFETY& SECURITY will prevail over Democrats' wish for VIOLENCE& CHAOS.” – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)

“Democrats have been unserious about border security, repeatedly holding DHS funding hostage. I led Senate Republicans in overcoming their obstruction by crafting the bill directly in my committee, allowing us to swerve around the roadblocks & secure its passage. I am proud to support President Trump’s effective mission that’s delivering record-low levels of illegal border crossings.” – Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul (R-Ky.)

“After more than 14 hours, Democrat Senators continue to use every single dirty trick, every arcane maneuver, and every deceptive tactic to prevent Senate Republicans from funding federal law enforcement. Sad.” – Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio)

  • Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer last night continued slandering officers who put themselves in harms way, calling Border Patrol and ICE “discredited.”
  • Last month, Schumer denigrated border security officers by saying “nobody respects” them in America.
  • “Unlike during Trump's first term, it's not just progressives taking up the ‘defund ICE’ banner. The idea is proliferating even among the more moderate and establishment wings of the party.” (Axios: Inside Democrats' brewing war over the resurgence of "defund ICE" – 1/12/26)
  • Throughout the year, as Democrats tried to block all funding for border enforcement officers, Democrats denigrated law enforcement and tried to reopen the border:

DEMOCRATS ARE THE PARTY OF DEFUND THE POLICE: THIS CONGRESS, SENATE DEMOCRATS HAVE NOW TRIED BLOCKING BORDER SECURITY FUNDING MULTIPLE TIMES AND SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT TWICE

  • Last summer, as part of the Working Families Tax Cuts law, Republicans enacted transformative funding to provide the Trump administration with resources to secure the border:
    • “Overall, the Republican-led Congress set aside roughly $170 billion for immigration enforcement and border security efforts” in the Working Families Tax Cuts law, including “$46.5 billion to complete construction of the border wall” and “$4.1 billion to hire additional CBP personnel, including 3,000 more customs officers and 3,000 new Border Patrol agents.” (CBS News: Trump's "big, beautiful bill" gives ICE unprecedented funds to ramp up mass deportation campaign – 7/10/25;U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Secretary Noem Commends President Trump and One Big Beautiful Bill Signing into Law: Historic Win for the American People and the Rule of Law – 7/4/25)
    • Every single Senate Democrat voted against the law and this funding. (H.R. 1: Roll Call Vote #372 – 7/1/25)
  • Even before this week’s final vote on the Secure America Act, Senate Democrats blocked extending funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 17 times during their 76-day partial government shutdown and refused to fund ICE and Border Patrol through either the bipartisan appropriations process or through continuing resolutions. (S.Con.Res. 33: Roll Call Vote #105 – 4/23/26; H.R. 7147: Roll Call Vote #38 – 2/12/26; H.R. 7147: Roll Call Vote #39 – 2/24/26; H.R. 7147: Roll Call Vote #47 – 3/5/26; H.R. 7147: Roll Call Vote #54 – 3/12/26; U.S. Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 172 No. 30 – 2/12/26; The Hill: Senate Democrats block bill to fund DHS, spurning increased GOP pressure – 3/5/26; U.S. Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 172 No. 45 – 3/11/26; U.S. Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 172 No. 46 – 3/12/26; U.S. Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 172 No. 49 – 3/18/26; U.S. Congress: Congressional Record – Vol. 172 No. 50 – 3/19/26; H.R. 7147: Roll Call Vote #59 – 3/20/26; H.R. 7147: Roll Call Vote #71 – 3/25/26; U.S. Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 172 No. 56 – 3/25/26)
  • By instigating two unprecedented government shutdowns (76-day partial and 43-day full), Democrats’ actions have harmed the lives of border security officers who keep the country’s borders safe. (The Wall Street Journal: Senators to Suspend Their Pay During Government Shutdowns – 5/14/26)
    • “The shutdown’s uncertainty has taken a toll on ICE and CBP staffers, particularly professional and civilian support staff who missed paychecks in the early weeks of funding lapse, said an administration official.” (Politico: ‘Six months to catch up’: What the shutdown cost DHS – 5/2/26)
  • Due to the lack of any Democrat support to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the regular appropriations process, Republicans went through the process of reconciliation and passed the Secure America Act, providing a total of $38 billion for ICE and $26 billion for Border Patrol. (U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs: Chairman Paul Releases HSGAC Portion of Reconciliation Text – 5/4/26; U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Senate Judiciary Committee Releases Updated Text of the Secure America Act – 6/3/26)

REPUBLICANS WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND KEEP AMERICA’S BORDERS SECURE

“President Trump and Republicans have cleaned up Democrats’ mess at the border. We’ve secured the southern border and put criminals on notice that they will no longer be living freely in our country. And we plan to keep it that way.” – Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.)

“In less than two years, President Trump has taken the border from the most broken to the most secure in history. The bill we passed today locks those gains in through the rest of his term.” – Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)

  • “The Trump administration marked a full year of ‘zero releases’ at the southern border on Friday, a milestone officials touted as evidence that the president has effectively ended the catch-and-release policies that defined the Biden-era border crisis.” (Fox News: Trump hits dramatic milestone in massive departure from Biden border plan: 'What a difference' – 5/15/26)
  • “‘Zero releases’ refers to U.S. border patrol not releasing illegal border crossers into the U.S. interior after apprehension.” (Fox News: Trump hits dramatic milestone in massive departure from Biden border plan: 'What a difference' – 5/15/26)
  • “The U.S. Border Patrol’s apprehensions along the southwest border in April (8,943) were 94%?lower than the monthly average of the Biden administration and 96%?below the peak of the Biden administration (December 2023). They were also less than what was apprehended in?3 days?in April 2024.” (U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Trump administration delivers a full year of zero releases at the border – 5/15/26)