Hagerty Presses Senate Democrats to Fully Fund the Department of Homeland Security, Ensuring that the Brave Men and Women Keeping America Safe are Properly Compensated

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March 5, 2026
The Department of Homeland Security shutdown, inflicted by partisan politics, jeopardizes our national security and safety amid the Iran conflict.
WASHINGTON—Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) pressed Senate Democrats on the Senate floor to end the partial government shutdown and ensure Americans’ safety during global tensions.
Remarks as prepared for delivery:
Mr. President, today marks the 20th day of what has been a completely unnecessary, incredibly harmful, and politically-motivated shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security – an agency whose core mission is to protect our citizens from terrorism, crime, cyber risk, natural disasters.
The question is: why are we here? Why is the entire government not open? We find ourselves at this moment because my colleagues on the other side of the aisle oppose our efforts to clean up the immigration crisis they created. This is purely about politics, not policy.
At a moment when global tensions are high and President Trump is rightly carrying out a strategic operation in the Middle East to make America more secure, it is more important than ever that the agency tasked with defending our homeland remains fully funded and fully operational, without delay.
The situation in Iran has direct ties to the security of our Southern border. More than 1,500 Iranian nationals were detained trying to enter the country illegally under President Biden – some with suspected ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also known as the IRGC. Roughly 50 percent of them were released into the United States thanks to the intentional and reckless Biden-Harris “Open Border” policies. Those are the ones who turned themselves in – there is no way to know how many entered the country illegally without being apprehended at the border.
There’s a non-zero chance that the feckless open border policies of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle let in people who want to do harm to our nation and target innocent Americans. We shouldn’t sit back and wait for something to happen. We, as United States Senators, should lock arm in arm and fund the hundreds of thousands of dedicated men and women who fight every single day to keep our homeland safe.
From our Coast Guard and TSA officers to cybersecurity officers and natural disaster first responders, these selfless Americans continue to show up for work, protect our country, and carry out their duties, all while not knowing when their next paycheck will arrive. They are doing their jobs, and it is more than past time for Congress to do ours.
The legislation before us today is not new – it is the very same bipartisan agreement this body negotiated and agreed upon just weeks ago. Yet, for the second time in just six months, Democrats have chosen to obstruct necessary federal funding rather than negotiate in good faith.
Therefore, I must ask my colleagues, what exactly are we waiting for? Are we waiting for our adversaries to exploit this inaction? Are we waiting for the next natural disaster to strike a vulnerable community? Are we waiting for the violent extremist attack?
The American people are paying attention; they understand what is at stake.
Supporting this bill means funding the security of our airports, strengthening our borders, defending our critical infrastructure, and ensuring our nation is prepared to respond to natural disasters the moment they occur.
Weakening those capabilities, especially during a time of heightened global tension, is beyond unacceptable.
Instead of allowing politics to undermine our national security, we should strengthen the very institutions that keep Americans safe.
Ensuring the Department of Homeland Security has the resources it needs to properly function should be one of the most basic duties we have as members serving this nation.
By voting in favor of this legislation today, we have the opportunity to do exactly that.
And that is why I would strongly urge all my colleagues to support this bill without delay. Let’s do what is right for the citizens that call this great nation home.
I yield back.
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