Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) accused Democrats of stalling negotiations to fund the Department of Homeland Security during an appearance on Fox News Sunday, arguing that Republicans have been negotiating in good faith while Democrats delay providing concrete proposals.
Britt said the timeline surrounding the continuing resolution (CR) shows that Democrats have been slow to act. According to her, Republicans and President Donald Trump initially pushed for a six-week funding extension, but Democrats insisted on a shorter two-week measure.
“If we rewind back to this, when we got to a CR two weeks earlier, President Trump and Republicans wanted six weeks. Democrats are the ones that wanted two,” Britt said. “We said, we’ve got to have time to figure out a pathway forward. They insisted on two.”
Britt maintained that Republicans moved quickly once negotiations began. She pointed to outreach efforts by the Trump administration, including communications with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, as well as steps taken by Homeland Security officials to deploy body cameras.
She also referenced actions by border czar Tom Homan, who announced that more than 4,000 criminal illegal aliens were located in Minnesota and that over 3,000 unaccompanied minors previously unaccounted for had been identified. Britt characterized that development as evidence of progress and cooperation at the local level, noting that Homan subsequently announced a drawdown of certain federal operations.
“When you look at the timeline of the Democrats’ case, they didn’t even tell us what they wanted until a social media post about seven days in,” Britt said. She added that after Democrats eventually produced legislative text, Republicans responded within 48 hours and followed up with their own proposal shortly thereafter.
Britt argued that Democrats have yet to respond formally to the latest Republican offer. “Democrats have still not sent back over text from our offer on Wednesday. And so we’re waiting once again and they’re dragging their feet,” she said.
Despite the stalemate, Britt said she remains committed to reaching a solution. “They sent us up here to get in a room and figure out a pathway forward. That is absolutely what I am committed to doing,” she said, expressing hope that members on both sides of the aisle will ultimately work toward securing DHS funding.
With the funding deadline looming, the dispute underscores deep divisions in Congress over immigration enforcement and the direction of homeland security policy.
