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Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., was asked Tuesday whether it's time for Democrats to agree to "fully fund" the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to "protect the homeland" amid threats from Iran.
"So you were just talking about how important it is for DHS to protect the homeland," host Pamela Brown said during CNN's "The Situation Room." "And I wonder what you say to Republicans who say, ‘Look, given the change in circumstances, given this war in Iran, it is time for Democrats to come together and fully fund DHS so it can do its job, especially in this moment?’"
"I see protecting the homeland is also protecting the vulnerable immigrants who are running through the fields and factories where they work, or the woman who’s been dragged by her hair and thrown into an unmarked van, or the allies in Minnesota, you know, a nurse named [Alex] Pretti and a mom named [Renee] Good who were publicly executed," Swalwell responded.
DHS issued a memo over the weekend warning of potential cyber and lone wolf terror attacks following U.S. and Israeli military strikes against Iran.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing with FBI Director Kash Patel in the Rayburn House Office Building on Sept. 17, 2025. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The congressman was referring to the shooting deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents during anti-ICE protests in Minnesota in January.
Continuing his argument, Swalwell said that if Republicans could "put in place reforms that end that — that stop the roving terror — Democrats are with them."
"But [DHS] also [has] plenty of funding from, you know, H.R. 1, the ‘big brutal bill,’ to continue to operate," he added. "And so we're asking for reforms that protect everyone in the community, not just the priorities of going after the most vulnerable."
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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TSA officers, Coast Guard members and FEMA staff are working without pay as the DHS funding lapse drags on. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
The Trump administration submitted to Senate Democrats what it called a "serious" offer to reopen the government last week.
"Yesterday, the White House made another serious counteroffer," a White House official told Fox News Digital last Friday. "Democrats need to make a move to end the shutdown before more Americans are harmed by a lack of funding for critical services like disaster relief."
It’s the second offer from the White House in an ongoing back-and-forth that has left DHS without funding for two weeks.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., both acknowledged receiving the offer in a joint statement Friday.
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"We have received the White House’s counteroffer and are reviewing it closely. Democrats remain committed to keep fighting for real reforms to rein in ICE and stop the violence," they said.
Fox News Digital's Alex Miller contributed to this report.
