Former Senator Rick Santorum cautioned Tuesday that budget reconciliation could help Republicans break the deadlock over Department of Homeland Security funding but warned it might crowd out other Republican priorities.
Speaking on “Bianca Across the Nation,” Santorum stated reconciliation would “certainly solve the problem for DHS” yet added it was “not a fix-all for everything.” He noted efforts to use the process with the SAVE America Act would have limited effect, though it could fund other areas of government.
The funding impasse has stretched into its sixth week after Senate Democrats blocked a Republican-backed bill to fund the department through the end of fiscal 2026, leaving parts of the agency operating without appropriations while immigration enforcement remained at the center of the standoff.
Santorum emphasized that Republicans are trying to keep government functioning and could turn the impasse into a political advantage by arguing they are not obstructing progress. “We actually do fix things,” he said. “We actually do compromise and work and make government work and not just showboat and protest and … hold up things and … shut down the government.”
He also cast doubt on the near-term passage of President Donald Trump’s SAVE America Act, stating it would likely remain a campaign issue rather than become law. “I think it’s unlikely to get passed,” he said. “There may be some small elements of it included in this reconciliation, but this is a campaign issue.”
The Senate confirmed Markwayne Mullin as Secretary of Homeland Security on Monday in a 54-45 vote following Trump’s nomination sent to the chamber on March 9, with a White House swearing-in ceremony expected Wednesday.
