Sen. Bernie Moreno used a Senate confirmation hearing to call out Democrats for blaming Republicans while hundreds of thousands of Department of Homeland Security workers have gone unpaid. He focused on the people whose bills and families are on the line, argued the shutdown is a political choice, and pushed elected Democrats to own the consequences of their strategy.
Moreno grabbed his minutes at Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s confirmation hearing and put the spotlight on DHS staff left without paychecks. He pointed to the sheer scale of the problem, noting the hundreds of thousands affected and the strain on mission readiness. The tone was direct and unapologetic, aimed at forcing accountability from colleagues who voted on budgets.
He zeroed in on the human cost and did not soften the language when describing it. “They’re having to tell their kids they can’t send them to dance recital because they did everything right in life except got a job with the Department of Homeland Security so that a politician can make a 30-second video online to fundraiser for the next election,” he said. “That’s disgusting.”
‘YOU CAN CRY ABOUT IT’: TEMPERS FLARE IN SENATE AS DHS SHUTDOWN DEBATE ERUPTS, STALEMATE DIGS DEEPER Moreno’s point was simple: the politics play out online while workers miss paychecks. That contrast was meant to press the argument that leadership choices, not frontline employees, are paying the price.
Weeks earlier, a Democratic senator posted a public pledge to block DHS funding unless agency reforms were enacted, and Moreno used that to underline what he sees as performative politics. He argued those public stunts have real consequences for employees charged with immigration processing, border security, and other frontline duties. The tone suggested frustration with symbolic gestures that translate into missed paychecks.
Then he turned to the ranking Democrat on the committee and put the promise to fund agencies on the record. “You said you’re going to fund all these agencies,” Moreno said to Peters. “Here’s one that you haven’t funded.” That line was meant to be a blunt reminder that promises must match action or people suffer.
Moreno produced visual proof — a poster board laying out missions harmed by the shutdown — and drew attention to specific offices stalled by the funding lapse. “USCIS is near and dear to my heart,” Moreno said. He warned that pausing the agency that processes lawful immigration not only hurts applicants but also chokes the system that manages legal flows into the country.
He also pressed on Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arguing those gaps weaken efforts against criminal networks. “Are you suggesting that we not fund an organization that tracks transnational organizations?” Moreno rhetorically asked Democrats of ICE funding. He demanded clarity on whether colleagues are willing to strip resources from agents who counter drugs, trafficking, and cross-border crime.
The exchange came amid broader GOP complaints that Democratic leaders are holding DHS agencies “hostage” during negotiations over spending. Moreno’s intervention was part message and part call to action: stop using homeland security as a bargaining chip and get the paychecks back to the people who keep the country safe. The hearing left the chamber with clear political lines and a public record of who was willing to defend frontline workers.
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