• What Happened: Sen. John Cornyn told Newsmax's National Report Tuesday that Republicans are moving forward on a GOP-only bill to fund ICE and DHS after Democrats refused to cooperate, saying the nation "shouldn't be held hostage to a handful of Democrats."
  • Why It Matters: The DHS shutdown is now the longest in American history, having passed 60 days since February 14. More than 35,000 DHS employees have gone without paychecks.
  • Bottom Line: Democrats shut down the department that secures the border, screens travelers at airports, and responds to disasters. Republicans are done asking for permission to fund it.

The Department of Homeland Security has now been shut down for more than 60 days. It is the longest agency shutdown in American history. TSA workers have been showing up to screen millions of American travelers while fighting for their paychecks. FEMA employees have been furloughed as hurricane season approaches. Coast Guard civilians have gone without pay. And Democrats are still saying no.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas appeared on Newsmax's National Report Tuesday and put it plainly.

"We're not going to defund ICE," Cornyn said. "We're going to make sure they're adequately funded and our immigration laws are enforced."

Cornyn said Democrats remain locked in "opposition mode or resistance mode," opposing "anything and everything that would allow the United States government to secure the border and enforce our immigration laws." With no bipartisan resolution in sight, he said Republicans are moving forward alone.

"I'm not optimistic that they will cooperate, which is why we are pursuing a Republican-only bill," Cornyn said, adding that the bill is aimed at increasing funding for ICE and DHS. He acknowledged it is "not the best way," but said "it is a way to accomplish the goal."

The DHS shutdown began February 14 after Democrats in the Senate refused to fund the department following the death of Alex Pretti, killed by Customs and Border Protection agents in January. Democrats have since demanded 10 reform conditions for ICE before they will vote for any ICE or CBP funding, including banning masked agents, ending roaming patrols, requiring visible identification markings, and imposing stricter warrant requirements. Republicans have called the demands an attempt to defund and defang immigration enforcement, not reform it.

The stalemate has become a rolling legislative disaster. Senate Democrats have blocked seven Republican proposals to fund all or parts of DHS. Republicans have blocked five Democratic proposals. The Senate passed a deal in late March to fund most of DHS while excluding ICE and CBP, but House Republicans rejected it. House and Senate Republican leaders then announced a two-step plan: fund non-enforcement DHS agencies through the normal appropriations process while using budget reconciliation on a party-line vote to fund ICE and CBP for three years without needing Democratic support. Trump endorsed the plan and set a June 1 deadline for the reconciliation bill. But the House Freedom Caucus came out against the two-step approach, demanding a GOP-only reconciliation bill for all of DHS, complicating leadership's path forward.

With Congress failing to act, Trump moved unilaterally. On March 28 he signed an executive order directing DHS to use funds from last year's One Big Beautiful Bill Act to resume paying TSA employees. On April 3 he signed a second memorandum directing back pay for all DHS civilian employees through April 4. More than 35,000 employees received their first paychecks in weeks. DHS has since recalled furloughed workers back to their jobs, though it warned employees the available funds may not last and that future paychecks depend on Congress acting.

Cornyn said he feels "very bad" for the federal workers caught in the standoff. "I feel very bad for everybody who's showed up at their job without pay. It's a hardship, and we need to make them whole through this process." But he laid responsibility squarely at the feet of Senate Democrats and argued the standoff should define the next election cycle.

"We need to try to figure out how we prevent this from happening again, because the nation shouldn't be held hostage by a handful of Democrats who just don't want to do anything," Cornyn said. "The Democratic Party is the party of defund the police, abolish ICE, and this is just another way to accomplish their goal."

The shutdown clock keeps running. Democrats keep blocking. And Republicans say they are done waiting for permission to secure the border.