Republican Leader Calls Democrats’ DHS Funding Block “Political Messaging” and “Untenable”

Wednesday, 18 February 2026 01:34 PM EST

Representative Brad Knott (R-N.C.) said on Wednesday that the goal of congressional Democrats with their partial block of Homeland Security funding is to “disrupt” America.

Knott added he finds no lofty goals in their approach to throttle immigration enforcement.

“What the Democrats are truly after is to stop all immigration enforcement,” he stated.

He also accused Democrats of supporting chaos.

“They want to disrupt,” Knott said. “They want to cause pain. They want to cause discomfort. And then they want to blame Republicans for the consequences of their actions.”

He said their position on the issue is untenable.

“That’s the political game that we’re seeing here,” he added. “And I urge them to come to the table.”

Knott noted that some House Democrats had already supported Department of Homeland Security funding, but they were shot down by their own party leader in the Senate.

“Representatives in the House voted to fund DHS from the Democrat side because they knew this was an ill-fated plan,” he said. “But [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer caved to political pressure, and that’s why we are where we are. And it’s a real shame.”

Knott believed a majority of Americans see through the political ploy.

“Shutting down this division, this department, that has nothing to do with their stated goal, does not make sense,” he said. “And all it is, as the American people see, is political messaging.”

Knott added it makes it hard going forward for Republicans to find an approach they can support.

“All Republicans want is to enforce the immigration laws on the books,” he stated. “The Democrats have refused to play ball in this arena.”

Congressional Democrats had sent the White House an updated proposal outlining their suggested limits on immigration enforcement as part of negotiations to restore funding for DHS, but no agreement had been reached.