Republicans block Democratic bill to fund DHS agencies other than ICE, CBP

Senate Democrats on Wednesday seemingly sought to turn the tables on Republicans, asking for unanimous consent to pass a bill to fund agencies within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that do not conduct immigration enforcement.

Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, asked for unanimous consent for a measure to fund the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies. It would not cover Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Republican Sen. Katie Britt (Ala.) objected.

“We have political games being played by our Democratic colleagues instead of putting the people of this nation first,” Britt said. “Mr. President, what we’ve just seen put forth by the senator from Washington would effectively defund our law enforcement officers that are charged with keeping Americans safe.”

She added, “Look, we’re not going back to the era of defund police. We’re not doing........

© The Hill