Washington has once again descended into the kind of chaotic theater Americans are tired of watching, as a partial government shutdown began while lawmakers argued over funding for the Department of Homeland Security. The fight over DHS came down to whether Congress would force changes to immigration enforcement in the wake of a heated national debate, and taxpayers are suffering because Washington can’t get its act together.
Democrats rushed to turn a tragic confrontation in Minneapolis into a bargaining chip, demanding new limits on ICE and other federal immigration operations even as investigations continue into the incident. The fallout from that shooting lit a political fuse, and Democrats predictably moved to leverage public outrage to weaken border enforcement rather than stand with law-and-order principles.
In a rare moment of pragmatic politics, the Senate cobbled together a package that kept most agencies funded and pushed a short, two-week extension for DHS so negotiators could continue working — a compromise the White House and negotiators touted as a necessary pause to avoid a wider collapse. The deal was imperfect, but it bought time and exposed who in Washington actually wants to govern and who wants to weaponize crisis.
House Speaker Mike Johnson weighed in on Fox News Sunday, urging unity among Republicans and urging patience while leaders try to navigate the next stages of the talks. Johnson made clear that the GOP still has leverage and that prudent, temporary measures were preferable to a long, self-inflicted shutdown that would empower the left.
Johnson openly expressed confidence that the partial shutdown would be resolved quickly if Republicans stayed disciplined and worked the plan, arguing for a focused, short-term extension to keep critical DHS functions running while negotiations proceed. His timeline puts the pressure back on Democrats to stop grandstanding and come to the table in good faith.
But patriotism demands more than temporary fixes and backroom deals that empower the very forces eroding our borders. Conservatives must call out the cynical Democrats who rush to politicize tragic events while trying to hamstring ICE and other agencies sworn to protect Americans, and we must insist any negotiations do not strip prosecutors and enforcers of the tools they need to keep our communities safe.
Hardworking Americans deserve leaders who will defend the rule of law, secure the border, and stop Washington from using tragedies as bargaining chips. Republicans should hold the line, demand real accountability where needed, and never surrender border security on the altar of short-term political theater. The country is watching — and it’s time for conservative leadership that actually leads.
