Mullin calls Schumer ‘lying scumbag politician’ amid GOP push to fund DHS

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Thursday blasted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) by calling him a “lying scumbag politician” amid Senate Republicans’ push to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has been in a shutdown for almost 70 days.

Fox News anchor Bill Melugin showed Mullin a clip of Schumer suggesting that “nobody” in the U.S. “respects” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol. Mullin told Melugin that the comment “makes my ears red.”

“It takes a lot to get me upset,” he continued. “But Chuck Schumer, no one respects you. The definition of a lying, scumbag politician –– that is you. You would be the definition if you Googled you right now.”

Mullin accused Schumer of wanting “open borders” and said that if Schumer wanted to reform federal immigration agencies, “you had time to change those during the Biden administration.”

“You didn’t because you’re for open borders and you’re for the criminals running amok in our cities,” Mullin continued. “And for you to say that is so disrespectful to the law enforcement that is out there protecting you because he has a detail with him. How about he walks around these city streets without a detail? I wonder how safe he would feel.”

President Trump also slammed Schumer over his “respect” comment.

“That is one of the most egregious, incorrect, unpatriotic, and dangerous statements I have EVER heard from a ‘professional’ politician,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday. “HE MUST IMMEDIATELY APOLOGIZE TO THESE GREAT PATRIOTS, AND I MEAN NOW!”

Senate Republicans early on Thursday adopted a budget resolution that could lead to DHS being funded again through the rest of Trump’s term. They plan to advance a package next month at a cost of between $70 billion and $80 billion.

Democrats blocked funding to go toward the department in mid-February. Lawmakers said the agency requires widespread reforms after carrying out the president’s deportation agenda. These calls intensified after federal immigration officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in separate incidents during federal immigration operations in Minneapolis in January.

Most DHS employees have continued to work without pay. But the shutdown has also disrupted operations at airports as hundreds of Transportation Security Administration employees have called out of work or quit altogether.

Mullin warned on Tuesday that DHS will be unable to pay out employee salaries starting in early May.

“So, the money is going extremely fast, and once that happens, there is no emergency funds after that,” the DHS chief told Fox News on Tuesday. “After we get through April … I’ve got one payroll left and there is no more emergency funds, so the president can’t do another executive order for us to use money because there’s no more money there.”

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