Democrats Hold America Hostage
The Democrats can’t defund ICE, so they are holding America hostage.
Senate and House Democratic Leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries announced on Monday that Democrats would continue to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security. In effect, they declared they were going to hold America, and especially America’s flying public, hostage.
Here’s what they are hoping you don’t think about: The program they most dislike, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was already funded through 2029 in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. ICE got a $75 billion supplement as part of President Donald Trump’s commitment to control the border and deport criminal illegal immigrants and others.
So, the Democrats’ ploy isn’t going to keep ICE from operating. Instead, the Democrats are refusing to fund people who work for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the US Coast Guard, and the US Treasury (although many of these jobs are essential functions so many people will work without being paid, thanks to the Democrats). Of course, there’s another large group of Americans who are going to be impacted by the Democrats’ shutdown strategy — traveling Americans and those who work in the airline industry.
Some TSA workers are beginning to stay home rather than work for no pay. The initial result has been simple inconvenience — a dramatic slowdown for passengers. If you are citizen coming home from outside the country, Global Entry has been stopped and readmission to America takes much longer.
If you are trying to get on an airplane at a major airport, the shortage of TSA inspectors is leading to longer lines. Already some major airports are projecting three-hour delays and asking domestic travelers to arrive at least four hours before their flights.
This slowdown in processing passengers is going to shrink the number of airline flights and could ultimately lead to layoffs among airline employees.
But delays and layoffs could be the least of our worries. The Democrats are refusing to fund TSA during a war with the world’s biggest sponsor of terrorism for the last 42 years. If we ever needed flight security, it is now. Further, since the war with Iran is also raising the cost of aviation fuel — which is already a major cost for airlines — the entire aviation industry is going to come under enormous stress.
So, the Democrats’ strategy is misguided — and dangerous. Instead of strengthening TSA and airport security against potential Iranian terrorism, the Democrats are undermining it because they presumably think it will net them some political points in November.
The Democrats can’t defund ICE, so they are holding America hostage. It is unpatriotic, unpopular, and could prove dangerous. Meanwhile, millions of Americans are going to find it harder to travel and others may lose their jobs due to the Democrats’ transportation system shutdown.
Every American who is waiting in line to get through TSA should spend some of that time calling their House and Senate members and demanding that they quit holding America hostage. Then they should call their favorite talk radio host to complain. And then they ought to go Facebook, X, and Truth Social and complain.
At some point the Democrats may figure out that holding their fellow citizens hostage is a losing strategy. Until then, they will continue with their battle cry of “weaken America first.”
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Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for alerting us more specifically about both US Sen. Schumer & US Rep. Hakeem Jeffries holding America hostage by not funding DHS even in the time of war! You're right, they think doing this will improve their chances in the mid-terms. They think that American people are not paying attention, & even if we are, they think we're stupid & won't hold them accountable.
The other bill of concern is the SAVE Act which US Sen. John Thune is almost single-handedly stopping from going to the senate floor for a vote.
Your post inspired me to send an email to my friends and associates with a link to your post & with the contact info of the 3 ne'er-do-well's of the US Congress, Thune, Schumer, & Jeffries.
Now that I've done that, I'll send my own emails to those three, & I'll continue to pray for them and for all of us.
Gratefully,
Linda