Republicans press for immediate Homeland Security funding as intelligence agencies and major cities heighten alert levels following U.S. military action against Iran.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Congress remains at an impasse over funding the Department of Homeland Security as Republican lawmakers warn that the risk of retaliatory terror attacks has increased following U.S. strikes on Iranian leadership targets.
Several Republican lawmakers, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and New York Rep. Andrew Garbarino, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, have emphasized the urgency of passing a funding measure. Their calls come amid heightened security measures nationwide and an ongoing FBI investigation into a deadly mass shooting outside a bar in Austin, Texas, where authorities are examining a possible terrorism nexus.
“The threats of terrorism are higher right now and our forces are on alert because we are actively taking out the Iranian leadership and the Ayatollah,” Cruz said during a Monday appearance on Fox News. “It is shocking that the Democrats continue to defund the Department of Homeland Security. We need a fully funded Department of Homeland Security at a time when terrorism threats are higher.”
The funding deadlock has already had operational effects. Coast Guard service members — some of whom participated in the Iran strikes, according to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth — missed a paycheck last week. Transportation Security Administration agents received only a partial paycheck during the same period as airspace closures and travel disruptions intensified.
The State Department has also issued advisories tied to heightened security, prompting additional operational demands on airport screening personnel as metro areas increase their alert posture.
Meanwhile, FEMA and the Secret Service are managing constrained resources as the East Coast prepares for severe winter weather and lawmakers prepare to return to Washington. Security perimeters around Capitol Hill have been reinforced, and Metro Transit Police confirmed enhanced patrols and station security in the District in a public statement per the department.
FBI Director Kash Patel called for counterterrorism teams to be placed “on high alert” following the Iran operation, stating that personnel must be ready to mobilize. Federal investigators are reviewing whether the Austin attack may have connections to extremist motivations.
Garbarino further pointed to prior “Iranian-backed terror plots” that New York City law enforcement had previously disrupted, as the NYPD expanded patrols in high-traffic areas.
Democratic leaders have expressed concern over security risks but have questioned the broader military strategy. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, appearing on CNN, said, “We should all be concerned,” while adding he is awaiting further details from the administration during a scheduled briefing with congressional leadership.
“How does this make any of us safer here in the United States of America, launching this preemptive war against Iran that apparently is a regime change war that has no justification for it connected to the threats that were directed at American interest?” Jeffries said.
The House is expected to bring the DHS funding bill back to the floor Thursday in another effort to secure passage. However, some lawmakers remain opposed.
“We can do two things at once,” Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said during a CBS interview. “We can demand that ICE stop murdering American citizens, and we can demand that the administration not send our kids to die for a war that we don’t need.”
With security agencies on elevated alert and intelligence officials warning of potential retaliatory threats, the funding debate is unfolding alongside active national security operations at home and abroad.