Rep. Warren Davidson stated that Republicans should have forced Senate Democrats into a prolonged standoff over border security funding during the record-breaking Department of Homeland Security shutdown, calling the final deal “very disappointing.”
The House-passed bill funded all aspects of the Department of Homeland Security, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol. However, the Senate approved a baseline plan that allocated zero dollars for these agencies, forcing Republicans to resort to reconciliation procedures to secure funding with a simple majority.
This situation led the House to pass a “skinny budget” designed to fund ICE and Border Patrol for three years without further negotiations with Democrats.
Davidson warned that such an outcome sets a dangerous precedent: “You’ve set a precedent that you can have a baseline that if one party holds out in the Senate, they can extract massive demands,” he said.
He emphasized that Republicans should have engineered a more extended floor fight to center national attention on border security enforcement. “I think we should have made a bigger price for Democrats. I wish Sen. John Thune would have held the floor,” Davidson added.
Regarding the SAVE America Act, Davidson criticized House Republicans for repeatedly passing legislation only to see it stall in the Senate: “We only send it to the Senate to be ignored.”
He also noted that the Senate has resisted pressure to act on voter ID measures despite broad public support. “The Senate is immune to pressure,” he said.
Davidson stated that lawmakers could force debate but have not done so. “There are so many things that they could do differently, and they throw up excuse after excuse for inaction,” he remarked.
Additionally, Davidson floated repealing the 17th Amendment as a potential solution: “I’ve wondered whether repealing the 17th Amendment might be a solution just so states could have more control over who their senators are.”
