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EXCLUSIVE — Former Vice President Mike Pence says that the move by congressional Democrats to hold up Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding amid American military strikes on Iran and twin terror-style attacks in the U.S. is indefensible.
“At a time that American armed forces are taking the fight to the leading state sponsor of terrorism, it is unconscionable that Democrats in Washington DC continue to refuse to fund the Department of Homeland Security,” Pence said this week in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.
Pence spoke as congressional Democrats and Republicans remain unmoved in their political fight over President Donald Trump’s unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration. The policy standoff triggered a shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security over a month ago.
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A policy standoff between Democrats and Republicans over the Trump administration’s unprecedented illegal immigration crackdown triggered a shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security over a month ago. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
Democrats, who are demanding a significant overhaul of the crackdown by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have repeatedly tried to force Trump and Republicans to fund DHS’ other key functions, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). But Republicans have stood firm against slicing up DHS funding and argue that Democrats are the ones blocking the funding.
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The partial shutdown has forced critical staff, including TSA agents, to work without pay, and has sparked significant travel delays and staff resignations.
Travelers wait in line at a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas, US, on Monday, March 9, 2026. (Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Heightening tensions were last week’s twin terror incidents, the attack on a Michigan synagogue and the fatal shooting of an ROTC instructor at Virginia’s Old Dominion University.
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“I must tell you, during my years in the Congress and my years as vice president, it’s very clear to me, having been in Washington, D.C., on September the 11th, having had innumerable briefings about threats facing this country, that our enemies are not just abroad. We have enemies within,” Pence emphasized.
Former Vice President Mike Pence is interviewed by Fox News Digital, on March 18, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News )
And the former vice president, pointing to the ongoing funding battle, said, “It is incumbent on the Department of Homeland Security, on our domestic law enforcement forces and our entire security apparatus to have the means necessary to protect the American people.”
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“I think, with American forces in harm’s way, taking the fight to the enemy in Iran, it’s never been more important for us to ensure that those that are charged with protecting the homeland have the resources they need and have those resources today,” he added.
