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The Leader’s Floor Lookout: Thursday, March 26, 2026

Washington, March 26, 2026
Here’s what to watch for on the House Floor today:
 
Supporting DHS Employees and Calling to Fund DHS

It’s Day 41 of Democrats’ DHS Shutdown, and Americans across the nation are suffering the consequences. 

Over 100,000 DHS workers – including more than 50,000 frontline TSA employees – aren’t getting paid, missing their first full paycheck as of Friday, March 13. This amounts to $1 BILLION in unpaid wages each month.

Additionally, more than 450 TSA agents have quit since the DHS shutdown began. One dad of three felt forced to quit his TSA job, saying, “My family has to come first.” Airports have begun collecting donations and open food pantries for TSA agents and their families, and wait times have surged at airports across the country, with some lines stretching to the parking lot.

Meanwhile, we are on elevated alert nationwide due to evolving threats. We’ve seen horrific attacks in Texas, New York, Michigan, and Virginia just in March. The FBI is warning of “lone wolf” attacks and agencies are monitoring suspected sleeper cells on American soil – all while Democrats refuse to fund DHS. It is reckless, dangerous, and puts American lives at risk. 

Every day the Democrats’ DHS shutdown lasts, they demonstrate that they are the party of lawlessness and chaos. Democrats don’t want criminal illegal aliens deported, they don’t stand with our law enforcement officers, and they don’t care about the American people. They only want to satisfy their radical base. It’s embarrassing and a dereliction of duty.

House Republicans won’t stop fighting to restore order, protect Americans, and fund DHS. Today, we’re bringing a resolution to affirm our support and gratitude for the DHS employees who protect our nation and emphasize the importance of funding DHS immediately. 

H. Res. 1128, introduced by Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, acknowledges the importance of fully funding the Department of Homeland Security, emphasizes that the American people are at increasing risk each day DHS goes unfunded, and expresses our deep gratitude to DHS employees for their unwavering commitment to protect the U.S. from those who seek to cause harm.

Enough is enough – the American people and DHS employees deserve more. House Republicans are standing up for America’s security and the DHS employees who should be rightfully paid for protecting our country. Will Democrats join us, or continue playing politics with American lives?


Funding DHS to Secure Our Homeland and Ensure Americans’ Safety

At a time when we most need to ensure the security of our nation, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is shut down thanks to Democrats’ political antics. 

House Republicans sent a bill – a bipartisan, bicameral negotiated bill – to the Senate that would fund DHS for FY26. But Democrats wanted to pander to their radical far-left base, so they decided to shut down the department of the federal government that secures the U.S. against threats, including counterterrorism operations, cybersecurity, border control, and emergency management.

Withholding DHS appropriations means no funding for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service. This is leaving America more vulnerable during increased threats, interrupting critical government services, and forcing over 100,000 federal employees to go without pay. This is now the third time in six months Democrats have held federal employees paychecks hostage.

Under Biden, over 10 million illegal immigrants entered the United States from over 160 countries, including countries on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. Over 400 illegal aliens on the Terrorist Watch List were encountered at the border – and these are just the ones we caught. We know that bad actors came across the border undetected under the Biden Administration and that counterterrorism agencies are monitoring suspected sleeper cells on American soil. 

Especially now, in the wake of Biden’s four years of open borders and evolving threats, we cannot handicap the department tasked with keeping Americans safe. It’s absurd, it’s irresponsible, and it is only hurting the American people. For a third time, House Republicans are bringing forward legislation to ensure the government is fully funded and American communities and citizens are kept safe.

H.R. 8029, the Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act, sponsored by Rep. Juan Ciscomani, makes appropriations through FY26 and supports efforts to defend our homeland, bolster border protections, deter and respond to cyber threats, counter terrorism, and enhance public safety.

Delivering stability and security to the nation and the American people should never be a partisan issue. Will Democrats prove they care more about protecting illegal immigrants and putting on a political show than they do about the security of our nation, or will they do the right thing?