Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) sharply criticized Democratic lawmakers during the Senate confirmation hearing of Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) for the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding shutdown that has left approximately 260,000 DHS employees unpaid for over a month. Moreno highlighted that none of the affected workers are responsible for policymaking, unlike the lawmakers who continue to receive their paychecks.
Moreno argued that DHS employees, including Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staff, are “the real victims” of the shutdown, forced to explain to their families the consequences of political gridlock. During the hearing, he specifically spotlighted the critical agency of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which has been defunded and now has 3,300 employees working without pay to process legal immigration. Moreno called the defunding “insane” and pointed out that Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are also unfunded.
Moreno directly addressed Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, accusing him of not honoring promises to keep key agencies funded and described Peters’s inattentiveness during the hearing as “incredibly disrespectful.” Moreno urged Democrats to explicitly recognize the importance of funding agencies like ICE, which employs 7,000 special agents tasked with combating transnational crime, drug smuggling, and human trafficking.
The comments came amid continuing Senate negotiations to resolve DHS funding. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) recently accused Democratic leaders of holding DHS agencies “hostage” in appropriations talks. Fox News Digital reached out to Senator Peters for response.
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