Fetterman Erupts as Left Defunds Coast Guard

As much as I hate to report it, there’s another government shutdown – or at least a partial shutdown – looming, set to take effect at midnight tonight.

The failed DHS funding vote in the U.S. Senate is now going to result in defunding the Coast Guard, TSA, and FEMA. But if the far Left hoped a shutdown would help them stop ICE, this was what they call an “air ball,” because ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will remain fully funded through President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”

The only Left-leaning Senator who voted against the shutdown – Senator John Fetterman (PA), likely drawing the ire of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) and other Members of his party.

As reported by Fox News:

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., the lone Senate Democrat to join the GOP to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), accused his colleagues of choosing party over country in their shutdown vote.

Senate Democrats dug their heels in against funding the agency on Thursday in their pursuit of stringent reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). . . . 

But Fetterman believed that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his party were missing the point.

“This shutdown literally has zero impact on ICE functionality,” Fetterman said in a post on X. “Country over party is refusing to hit the entire Department of Homeland Security. Democracy demands a way forward to reform ICE without damaging our critical national security agencies.”

Senate Democrats’ refusal to fund DHS this week has made a partial government shutdown affecting only DHS inevitable. The deadline to strike a deal is midnight Friday, and the likelihood of that happening is nearly nonexistent.

I already mentioned that this shutdown won’t even affect ICE. But here’s which agencies will get hit:

1. Transportation Security Administration (TSA): About 95% of its employees are deemed “essential,” meaning they must report to work without pay.
2. U.S. Coast Guard: Roughly 56,000 active duty, reserve, and civilian personnel will work without pay. This is the only armed service under DHS. Let that sink in.
3. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): Reduced operations. At a time when storms and natural disasters seem constant.
4. U.S. Secret Service: Core protective functions continue, but approximately 94% of its workforce will serve without pay.
5. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA): Could potentially be scaled back, affecting operations during a time of heightened global cyber threats.
6. Border security and Customs personnel: Deemed essential, but working under financial strain.

That’s who this shutdown is really going to hurt. It’s not Members of Congress. It’s the TSA agent screening your family before spring break. It’s the Coast Guard service member protecting our shores. It’s cybersecurity professionals defending against foreign adversaries, which seems more essential than ever before.

And the timing of this shutdown is concerning. We’ve had recent airspace scares. Potential border security issues involving cartels. And tensions with foreign adversaries are high. Of all the moments they could pick to weaken DHS operations, this is truly the wrong one.

There was a time when a government shutdown was considered a last resort, and therefore something to be avoided at all costs. Now, it’s become a negotiating tactic. The far Left is hoping to apply enough pressure to force the other side to give in. Essentially, it’s a game of political chicken. But it’s not the players who get hurt – it’s the American people, yet again.

You’ve heard the arguments: Conservatives won’t bend on ICE reform. The far Left won’t accept the counteroffers. Both sides accuse the other of bad faith. But the American people don’t care about their talking points. When TSA officers are forced to work without being paid, morale drops. And standards become easier to overlook. When FEMA scales back, response times suffer, and even precious seconds can mean the difference between life and death in many emergencies. And do you really want reduced cybersecurity agencies in this age of rampant cyberattacks?

I don’t believe the American people are as tribal as politicians assume and the media wants us to believe. Americans, by and large, are practical people. We want safety, stability, and a functional government. Especially when we the people are paying their salaries.

And right now, hundreds of thousands of federal workers are about to be told:

“Show up. Do your job. We’ll figure out your paycheck later.”

Today’s Sekulow broadcast included more discussion of the looming shutdown, how it will likely affect the country, and Senator Fetterman breaking ranks with his party. We also discussed a critical amicus brief that we just filed at SCOTUS on behalf of 29 Members of Congress to protect election integrity.

Watch the full broadcast below: