Democratic Sen. John Fetterman Criticized the shut down of the Department of Homeland Security, saying it has "literally zero impact on ICE functionality."
In a social media publication, Fetterman said that "democracy demands a way forward to reform ICE without damaging our critical national security agencies."
"Country over party is refusing to hit the entire Department of Homeland Security," he added.
This shutdown literally has zero impact on ICE functionality.
— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) February 13, 2026
Country over party is refusing to hit the entire Department of Homeland Security.
Democracy demands a way forward to reform ICE without damaging our critical national security agencies.
The department is set to shut down this weekend as Congress remains deadlocked on the matter. NBC News detailed that it is unclear whether the White House will cede to enough demands from Democrats to reach a deal, especially regarding limits on immigration enforcement.
Should an agreement not be reached, federal employees in agencies like FEMA, TSA and the Coast Guard won't be paid. They will still have to work because their tasks are considered critical.
As Fetterman noted, ICE and CBP will be less affected by the shutdown, with workers from the agencies still getting paid because they have access to the $75 billion in funding from last year's "One, Big Beautiful Bill" act.
Fetterman was the only Democrat to join Republicans in voting for a bill that would have funded DHS for the rest of the fiscal year. The vote ended 52-47, well short of the 60 needed to clear the filibuster.
Congress is only scheduled to return on February 23. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he has "let people know to be available to get back here if there's some sort of a deal they strike to vote on it."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, on his end, said that "the path forward is simple." "Negotiate serious guardrails that protect Americans, that rein in ICE, and stop the violence."
"Americans are watching what's happened in neighborhood after neighborhood across the country. They know it's wrong. They know it's excessive. And they want Congress, the Senate, to fix it," he added.
Originally published on Latin Times
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