Scalise accuses Democrats of reviving 'defund the police' push with DHS funding gambit
The DHS shutdown has dragged on for over a month
By Elizabeth Elkind , Adam Pack Fox News
Published March 18, 2026 3:00pm EDT
EXCLUSIVE: A senior House GOP leader is accusing Democrats of reviving their controversial push to "defund the police" with their latest bid to circumvent funding for law enforcement under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., called the progressive slogan "one of the dumbest ideas in the history of politics" in an interview with Fox News Digital.
"The American people lambasted them, and they moved on for a little while, but they came back to it, and they're trying it again," Scalise said. "We're not going to let them do it. And by the way, we're at a heightened level of threat — this is when everybody should be coming together and making sure that the Department of Homeland Security has all the tools they need to keep Americans safe."
Democratic leaders announced on Wednesday that they would move to force a vote on legislation to fund all of DHS except for agencies that aid in President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. It comes as the ongoing partial government shutdown, only affecting DHS, has gone on for over a month with no end in sight.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/scalise-accuses-democrats-reviving-defund-police-push-dhs-funding-gambit
