Republicans putting the American people first – and Democrats can't stop us

By U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn
R-Tennessee

For 76 days, Democrats’ shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security left the Secret Service, Coast Guard, TSA, FEMA, and other critical agencies completely unfunded—jeopardizing our nation’s security at a time of heightened threats from the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, Iran. 

Last week, President Trump brought their charade to an end, signing into law legislation to reopen the department and restore its vital operations.

With so much at stake, it’s important to remember how we even reached this point. For weeks, Democrats claimed that they wanted reforms for Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a condition for reopening DHS. And for weeks, Republicans tried to negotiate with them in good faith. 

Where reasonable, the White House offered to implement updated guidelines for ICE agents, including expanding the use of body-worn cameras, limiting civil immigration enforcement at certain sensitive locations, and enforcing the use of visible officer ID during enforcement actions. But Democrats rejected every offer to reopen DHS. Since February, they voted 17 times against funding the agency.

For Democrats, shutting down DHS was never a means to accomplish other policy goals. It was never a negotiating tactic. Keeping DHS shut down was their goal. All along, their aim has been to abolish ICE and end the enforcement of our immigration laws altogether. At the same time, they have distracted from the issues Americans actually care about, including protecting election integrity with the SAVE AMERICA Act, lowering costs, shoring up our national security, and addressing crime. 

While Democrats play games, Republicans are putting the American people first. 

Last week, Congress passed a Republican budget resolution that will pave the way for a targeted public safety bill to supercharge ICE and Customs and Border Protection for years to come. We are accomplishing this through reconciliation – the same process that empowered Republicans to pass the Working Families Tax Cuts – so that we can fund these vital agencies by a simple majority vote. Not a single Democrat can stop Republicans from getting our brave ICE and CBP officers the resources they need to do their jobs and uphold the rule of law.

Sanctuary states and jurisdictions across America have also tried to obstruct President Trump’s enforcement of our immigration laws. To incentivize state and local enforcement to work with ICE, I recently introduced the 287(g) Expansion Act. 287(g) agreements with ICE enhance the safety and security of our nation’s communities by allowing ICE to partner with law enforcement agencies to identify and remove criminal aliens. Under my legislation, states that agree to work with ICE would receive more grant funding through the Byrne Memorial JAG Program, which is the primary federal grant funding stream for state and local law enforcement.

In Tennessee, this legislation would support the tremendous success we have seen under the program. As part of the Memphis Safe Task Force, the Shelby County Sheriff signed a 287(g) agreement that allows law enforcement to detain and transport illegal aliens wanted by ICE, ensuring that criminal illegal aliens remain off the streets and behind bars. 

To replicate this enforcement statewide, the Tennessee legislature recently passed a bill requiring all 95 county sheriffs to enter the program. While Democrats used the American people as pawns in their effort to defund law enforcement by shutting down DHS, Republicans are working to pass a public safety reconciliation bill and advance  legislation like the 287(g) Expansion Act to protect communities in Tennessee and across the country. And we will get this done whether the Democrats like it or not.

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