United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) addressed the Senate, urging his colleagues to end the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He argued that the ongoing shutdown, which has lasted 20 days, puts national security at risk during a period of heightened global tensions.
Hagerty stated, “Mr. President, today marks the 20th day of what has been a completely unnecessary, incredibly harmful, and politically-motivated shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security – an agency whose core mission is to protect our citizens from terrorism, crime, cyber risk, natural disasters.”
He questioned why government operations were stalled and attributed the situation to political disagreements over immigration policy. “The question is: why are we here? Why is the entire government not open? We find ourselves at this moment because my colleagues on the other side of the aisle oppose our efforts to clean up the immigration crisis they created. This is purely about politics, not policy,” Hagerty said.
Referencing recent events in Iran and their connection to border security concerns in the United States, Hagerty noted that more than 1,500 Iranian nationals had been detained while attempting to enter the country illegally under President Biden’s administration. He said some detainees were suspected of ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), with approximately half released into the U.S. due to current border policies.
“There’s a non-zero chance that the feckless open border policies of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle let in people who want to do harm to our nation and target innocent Americans. We shouldn’t sit back and wait for something to happen. We, as United States Senators, should lock arm in arm and fund the hundreds of thousands of dedicated men and women who fight every single day to keep our homeland safe,” he added.
Hagerty emphasized that DHS employees—including Coast Guard members, TSA officers, cybersecurity personnel and first responders—continue working without knowing when they will be paid. He called for Congress to act promptly: “They are doing their jobs, and it is more than past time for Congress to do ours.”
He pointed out that current legislation before Congress reflects a bipartisan agreement reached previously but accused Democrats of obstructing federal funding negotiations again within six months.
“Therefore, I must ask my colleagues, what exactly are we waiting for? Are we waiting for our adversaries to exploit this inaction? Are we waiting for the next natural disaster to strike a vulnerable community? Are we waiting for the violent extremist attack?” Hagerty asked.
He continued: “Supporting this bill means funding the security of our airports, strengthening our borders, defending our critical infrastructure, and ensuring our nation is prepared to respond to natural disasters the moment they occur.”
Hagerty concluded by calling on all senators to support immediate passage: “Ensuring the Department of Homeland Security has the resources it needs to properly function should be one of the most basic duties we have as members serving this nation… And that is why I would strongly urge all my colleagues to support this bill without delay. Let’s do what is right for citizens that call this great nation home.”
Senator Hagerty represents Tennessee as a Republican in Washington D.C., where his office also operates multiple district locations across Tennessee including Chattanooga and Knoxville [source]. His office provides constituent services such as casework assistance statewide [source]. In addition to representing Tennessee [source], he serves on several Senate committees including Banking; Foreign Relations; Appropriations; and Rules and Administration [source].
