ABC News anchor Jonathan Karl pressed Democratic Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen on Sunday over his party’s role in the ongoing partial government shutdown leaving the Department of Homeland Security largely without funding.
Democrats have voted against funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as part of their opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They are demanding new operational restrictions following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good in January. Karl suggested on “This Week” that Democrats’ refusal to fund DHS was causing unnecessary disruptions since ICE is partially funded.
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“I guess what’s confusing here is you have fought and blocked the funding for the Department of Homeland Security because you object, as you just outlined to what ICE has been doing, and you wanted to force changes,” Karl said. “And yet, the only thing that has been assured throughout all of this is that ICE already has the money, because as you said, $75 billion passed in the budget bill last year. So you’re holding up the entirety of the Department of Homeland Security because you object to ICE and you want changes to ICE. But through it all, ICE continues to have the money it needs.”
Van Hollen disputed Karl’s comments, calling it “a false statement” that his party was “holding up all of the money” for DHS. He asserted his party has continuously advocated for funding the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Coast Guard.
“We are not prepared to give ICE another $10 billion on top of the monies they already have and are using in many of these lawless operations,” the senator said.
Karl retorted that Democrats’ resistance to the additional $10 billion for ICE was “holding up” funding for other DHS agencies. Van Hollen then interrupted Karl to claim his party was not the obstacle to DHS funding.
“You’re holding up unless it doesn’t include money for ICE,” Karl doubled down. “That’s just a fact.”
“Unless it doesn’t include money for ICE, a very reformed ICE. That’s right,” Van Hollen conceded.
President Donald Trump’s administration deployed ICE agents to support TSA agents Monday as airport travellers face long lines due to the partial shutdown, which has left TSA agents without pay.
Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was the sole member of his party to support the full-year appropriations bill for DHS. Other Democrats have remained united in voting down opportunities to fund the entire department without sweeping reforms to ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
ICE and CBP are the only two agencies within DHS that have funding due to the GOP-backed One Big, Beautiful, Bill Act’s passage in July 2025.
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