House Freedom Caucus leaders are drawing battle lines in the federal funding fight as the threat of a partial government shutdown grows by the day.

Senate Democrats are threatening to sink a massive government spending bill — which would impact the Department of War, Department of Transportation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and other offices — over its provisions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

If the legislation, which passed the House last week, fails to clear the Senate by the end of the day Friday, large swaths of the government could be forced to pause or reduce operations until an agreement is reached.

But leaders within the conservative House Freedom Caucus are warning they will not accept changes to ICE funding that’s included in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) portion of the package.

In a letter sent to President Donald Trump on Tuesday, the Freedom Caucus Board of Directors urged him to ‘ensure the Department of Homeland Security is funded fully along with all remaining appropriations bills — and not allow Democrats to strip its funding out to pass other appropriations separately.’

‘We cannot support giving Democrats the ability to control the funding of our Department of Homeland Security,’ the letter said.

Conservatives are also calling on Trump to ‘use all tools necessary,’ including invoking the Insurrection Act, to quell the unrest in Minneapolis.

‘All Americans have the right to protest — including their right to speech and to bear arms consistent with our laws — but there is no right to thwart federal, state, or local law enforcement and the state of order among our citizens. The coordinated effort to stop law enforcement by politicians in Minnesota and around the country has caused chaos and led to the tragic deaths of two Americans in Minnesota. It must end,’ the letter said.

Ongoing demonstrations in the Midwestern city — both over Trump’s immigration crackdown and the federal law enforcement-involved killing of two U.S. citizens there — have spurred Democrats in Congress to demand further restrictions on ICE before they could support any DHS funding bill.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other Democrats are threatening to vote against the entire spending package unless it’s stripped of the DHS portion — meaning it would have to go back to the House for another vote.

But the Freedom Caucus’ letter is a clear signal that such a move is virtually guaranteed to fail in the House, where nearly all GOP votes will be needed to advance the package again.

In fact, the conservatives are pushing Trump to explore other options to provide funding to other critical government agencies if Democrats dig their heels in.

‘The House has passed an appropriations package negotiated and agreed to by Senate Democrats. The package will not come back through the House without funding for the Department of Homeland Security,’ the letter said.

‘If Democrats insist on reneging and shutting down the government, endangering Americans to side with criminal illegal aliens, the Freedom Caucus stands ready to take all steps necessary to fund government unilaterally — by supporting (a) changing the Senate rules to end the ‘fake’ filibuster threshold, (b) moving an emergency reconciliation bill to fund the departments of Homeland Security and War, and (c) efforts by the Executive Branch to transfer funding with maximum flexibility.’

Senate leaders have already signaled they’re against changing the filibuster threshold to make it so that a simple majority, not 60 votes, is needed to advance legislation.

It’s a stance that has caused some friction with Trump, who called on the Senate GOP to invoke the so-called ‘nuclear option’ to end the filibuster during the prior 43-day government shutdown.

Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that the administration was opposed to Democrats’ demand to split off DHS funding.

At the same time, Trump has been having discussions with Democratic leaders in Minnesota in a bid to quell the chaos.

Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said she would not support Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N,Y., if elected, drawing a clear contrast with her rivals during a debate Monday among the leading Democratic candidates for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat.

Asked directly whether they would support Schumer as Senate leader, the candidates offered varying levels of support.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., said he was undecided and would ‘hear his pitch.’

‘I haven’t decided,’ he told the moderators at the debate, which was hosted by WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times, the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics and International House ahead of the March 2026 Democratic primary. 

Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., said her support would depend on who might run against Schumer.

Stratton, however, delivered a firm rejection, saying she has already made her position public.

‘No, and I’ve already said that I will not support Chuck Schumer as leader in the Senate, and I’m the only person on this stage that has said so,’ she said.

Schumer’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

The exchange comes amid broader Democratic frustration with Senate leadership, following the longest government shutdown in U.S. history that began last October.

Frustration with senior leadership has been voiced publicly by several lawmakers, including Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who recently said Schumer should be replaced.

‘Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced. If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?’ Khanna wrote on X on Nov. 9.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., voiced similar criticism, saying he’s ‘out of touch’ with the American people. 

‘The Democratic Party needs leaders who fight and deliver for working people. Schumer should step down,’ she said.

A longtime House Republican who sits on Congress’ powerful tax-writing committee is retiring after 20 years on Capitol Hill.

Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., announced on Tuesday that he will not be seeking re-election, ending a two-decade-long career in Washington at the age of 74.

He’s the 28th Republican to join what appears to be a mass exodus from the House of Representatives after the current term. Twenty-one House Democrats will also not seek re-election to the chamber.

Buchanan said in a statement that it was the honor of a lifetime to serve his southwest Florida congressional district.

‘Every achievement worth doing began with listening to my constituents and fighting for their priorities. I came to Congress to solve problems, to fight for working families and to help ensure this country remains a place where opportunity is available to everyone willing to work for it,’ Buchanan said.

‘After 20 years of service, I believe it’s the right time to pass the torch and begin a new chapter in my life.’

Buchanan spent nearly all of his time in Congress as a member of the House Ways & Means Committee, a powerful panel that oversees a variety of issues including tax policy.

He was in contention to chair the committee after Republicans retook the House of Representatives in November 2022 but ultimately lost the gavel to current Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo.

Since then, Buchanan has served as the committee’s vice chair and chairman of its subcommittee on health.

Before he leaves office, he’s still likely to play a key role as Republicans in Congress eye another ‘big, beautiful bill’ via the budget reconciliation process.

Budget reconciliation allows the party controlling both the House and Senate to pass massive policy overhauls by dropping the Senate’s requirement for passage to be in line with the House’s own simple majority threshold.

While the first bill was a vast compilation of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises, Republicans are hoping a second round would more narrowly focus on making Americans’ lives more affordable — including tackling soaring healthcare costs.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates Buchanan’s district as solidly Republican, meaning it’s not likely to flip in the 2026 midterms.

But his retirement comes at a time when House Republicans are expected to face an uphill battle to keep their razor-thin majority for the latter half of Trump’s term.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned European leaders that they need the U.S. in order to defend themselves, comments that come as tensions between the U.S. and Europe have escalated amid President Donald Trump’s push to acquire Greenland. 

‘If anyone thinks here again that the European Union, or Europe as a whole, can defend itself without the U.S., keep on dreaming. You can’t. We can’t. We need each other,’ Rutte said Monday in Brussels to the European Parliament. 

Without U.S. support, European nations would be required to massively ramp up their defense spending to 10% of their GDP. NATO allies pledged to spend 5% of their GDP on defense last year on defense by 2035. Likewise, Europe would be forced to spend billions of dollars to create a new nuclear deterrent, absent the U.S. 

‘In that scenario, you will lose the ultimate guarantor of our freedom, which is the U.S. nuclear umbrella. So hey, good luck,’ Rutte said.

Rutte’s comments come amid frustration from European allies as Trump has doubled down on his quest to acquire Greenland, and as several European leaders, including Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, have suggested the European Union create its own joint army. 

Trump originally threatened to impose a 10% tariff on all goods from NATO countries that would increase to 25% in June until a deal was reached for the U.S. to secure Greenland, after NATO members dispatched troops to the Danish territory. 

However, Trump backed down from these tariff threats after the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and announced in a post on social media Wednesday that the U.S. and NATO had established a ‘framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region.’ 

Likewise, Trump pledged not to use military force to seize the island. 

It’s unclear what the deal entails, and Trump told reporters Thursday on Air Force One that the deal was still being negotiated.

Although Greenland has said it wants independence from Copenhagen, Denmark, and doesn’t want to join the U.S., Trump historically has voiced a desire to seize Greenland for the U.S. since his first administration.

Meanwhile, Greenland has said that it prefers to remain aligned with Denmark, despite the complicated history the two countries share due to Denmark’s treatment of Indigenous people on the island. 

‘If we have to choose between the USA and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark,’ Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told reporters Jan. 13, according to translated remarks. ‘We choose NATO, the Kingdom of Denmark and the EU.’ 

Still, Rutte said that Trump was correct to stay vigilant about security in the Arctic as Russia and China have both increased their presence there in recent years. 

‘I think he’s right. There is an issue with the Arctic region,’ Rutte said. ‘There is an issue of collective security, because these sea lanes are opening up, and because the Chinese and the Russians are more and more active.’ 

The Senate is again on the verge of entering into another government shutdown as Democrats rage over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti during an immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota.

But despite Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats’ demands to sideline the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill, the agency’s immigration enforcement apparatus is flush with cash thanks to Republicans’ efforts last year with President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Still, there are other vital government functions under the DHS umbrella that, should a partial government shutdown happen Friday, would suffer.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News in a statement that while Schumer and Senate Democrats ‘play games with Americans’ safety, they are blocking vital DHS funding that keeps our country secure and its people safe.’

The department, created in 2003 after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, has jurisdiction over a broad range of agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Secret Service.

That means those offices would likely be impacted by a partial government shutdown come next month.

‘This funding supports national security and critical national emergency operations, including FEMA responses to a historic snowstorm that is affecting 250 million Americans,’ McLaughlin said. ‘Washington may stall, but the safety of the American people will not wait.’

The current DHS funding bill, which is snarled in a political duel between Schumer and Senate Republicans, would provide $64 billion for the agency. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would receive $10 billion of that. 

The largest allocation would go to FEMA at $32 billion, then TSA at $11.6 billion, and CISA at $2.6 billion. 

Even if the government shuts down, immigration operations would likely be untouched.

DHS received billions as part of Trump’s marquee legislation, a move to meet his and Republicans’ desire last year to turbocharge border security and immigration operations on the heels of former President Joe Biden’s term. 

In total, the ‘big, beautiful bill’ added over $170 billion to DHS’ coffers. 

Notably, ICE received $75 billion, split into two pots: $45 billion for detention expansion and roughly $29 billion for immigration enforcement operations.

The detention funding is set to last through FY 2029, effectively giving the agency about $10 billion per year — their average base budget — without the need for congressional approval during that period. 

Schumer and Senate Democrats contend that they want to continue negotiations on the DHS bill and strip it from a broader six-bill funding package, called a ‘minibus.’ Doing so would almost certainly guarantee a government shutdown, given that any changes would have to go back to the House. 

‘If Leader Thune puts those five bills on the floor this week, we can pass them right away,’ Schumer said. ‘If not, Republicans will again be responsible for another government shutdown.’

Still, it would complicate matters for the remaining agencies under DHS’ purview, and create a déjà vu scenario akin to the last government shutdown, which barreled onward for 43 days. 

The shutdown saw TSA agents go unpaid for weeks — spurring massive travel delays across the country as both they and air traffic controllers were forced to call out of work and take on second jobs to make ends meet, or otherwise work without pay.

Notably, air traffic controllers would be similarly affected this time around as well. Funding for the Department of Transportation is included in the larger minibus the Senate is expected to consider this week.

The threat of missed paychecks for the U.S. Coast Guard — along with other members of the armed forces, because the defense funding bill is included in the minibus as well — would also rear its ugly head and become a political quagmire for lawmakers once again.

Cuts to FEMA could also impact its ability to help everyday Americans during natural disasters, with the agency’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) in danger of running dry without more congressionally approved funding. A program that helps Americans in flood-prone areas secure home insurance would similarly be imperiled.

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., played a vital role in ending the last shutdown, and as chair of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Committee, will again act as a key negotiator in averting another closure.

She noted that DHS goes beyond just immigration operations, and reminded Senate Democrats of the cost of the last shutdown. 

‘We know from recent history that government shutdowns do not help anyone and are not in the best interest of the American people,’ Britt said in a statement. ‘As we approach a government funding deadline, I remain committed to finding a pathway forward.’

The Israel Defense Forces conducted approximately 80 brigade-level counterterrorism operations over the past year in the West Bank — known to Israelis as Judea and Samaria — neutralizing hundreds of terrorists and seizing more than 1,300 weapons, according to data released by the military.

The IDF said overall Palestinian terrorist activity in the area declined sharply in 2025, with incidents down 78% compared to the previous year. Attacks involving firearms dropped by 86%, the data showed.

Security remains essential in Israel’s ancient heartland, home to more than 500,000 Jews and up to 3 million Palestinians, and is at the center of intense political and diplomatic debate. Many Israeli officials argue that Jerusalem must assert sovereignty over the territory. 

Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, brokered during the Clinton administration, the West Bank was divided into three areas: Area A, under full Palestinian control; Area B, under Palestinian civil authority and Israeli security control; and Area C, under full Israeli authority.

A 2020 plan by the Trump administration, known as ‘Peace to Prosperity,’ envisioned Israeli annexation of parts of Judea and Samaria but was shelved in favor of the Abraham Accords, which normalized Israel’s relations with four Arab countries. In July 2024, the Knesset plenum overwhelmingly rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state, and in July 2025, approved a declaration calling on the government to apply sovereignty in Judea and Samaria as well as the Jordan Valley, something Vice President JD Vance described as a ‘very stupid political stunt,’ when asked his thoughts on the vote.

On a visit to Israel, he said, ‘The West Bank is not going to be annexed by Israel… The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel. That will continue to be our policy. And if people want to take symbolic votes, they can do that, but we certainly weren’t happy about it.’

Why Israel Says It Can’t Give Up Judea and Samaria

Focusing on the national security significance of the area, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus, a former IDF international spokesperson and now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that fundamental principles of warfare apply to the area.

‘High ground, or elevated terrain, remains critical and extremely important in defending a country, its people and its sovereignty,’ Conricus said. ‘I cannot identify any credible professional military assessment that would suggest it is wise for Israel to allow a hostile entity to dominate high terrain that controls, by line of sight and fire, most of modern Israel west of the 1949 armistice line, where 80% of Israel’s GDP and 70% of its population reside.’

Conricus said that no Israeli government could relinquish military control over the area without endangering the most basic security of the State of Israel.

He emphasized that the area defines Israel’s eastern border and noted that, while Israel currently maintains strategic peace with Jordan, the kingdom remains unstable and vulnerable to both internal and external pressures.

‘It could be jihadist elements, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas or the Iranian regime,’ he said. ‘Israel has to have an eastern border that is a natural barrier. The Jordan River is a natural barrier that limits the movement of troops, tanks and vehicles, and provides a border that is defensible,’ he said.

Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, pointed to the concept of defensible borders that emerged after the 1967 Six-Day War.

‘As a result, Israel gained a major defensive position and strategic depth it had never previously possessed,’ Diker said, noting that Israel had been only nine miles wide at its narrowest point in the north.

After the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, Diker said its strategic importance has increased amid concerns that a similar large-scale attack could occur there, given the widespread flow of weapons.

‘Although we control between 60% and 75% of the region, Iran has been penetrating the Jordanian border,’ he said, adding that Hamas incitement has energized jihadist networks.

Biblical, Historical and National Identity

Yishai Fleisher, international spokesman for Hebron — the cradle of Jewish civilization located in Judea — told Fox News Digital that the vast majority of events described in the Bible took place in Judea and Samaria.

Hebron, he said, is home to the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, while Jerusalem is where the two Jewish Temples stood and where King David reigned. In Bet El, the Biblical account of Jacob’s dream of the ladder took place.

‘The reason we have national aspirations in the Land of Israel is because of our history,’ Fleisher said. He also cited an initiative to rename Route 60 — which runs through many Biblical cities — the ‘Biblical Highway.’

Who Are the Hilltop Youth — and Why Israel Sees Them as a Problem

Earlier this month, IDF troops were dispatched to the Shavei Shomron Junction following reports that dozens of masked Israeli suspects had vandalized property in the area. Several Palestinian vehicles were torched, and two Palestinians were injured. A day later, IDF troops were dispatched to the area of Jalud following reports that Israeli civilians had vandalized a local school. In a separate incident in the Bizzariya area, several Palestinian vehicles were set on fire and property was damaged.

In 2025, the IDF recorded an increase of approximately 27% in anti-Palestinian crimes.

Governor of Binyamin and Chairman of the Yesha Council Yisrael Ganz told Fox News Digital that Judea and Samaria has been in a state of war since Oct. 7. Over the past year, he said, citing Shin Bet data, there were more than 4,000 attempted attacks against Israelis.

Ganz cited former Shin Bet head Yoram Cohen, who said only 1.5% of Shin Bet cases involve Jews, while roughly 80% focus on Arab terrorism.

‘Yes, there are incidents of violence, but the number of Jews who attack Arabs is negligible,’ Ganz said, condemning extremist youth as a small and unrepresentative minority.

Ganz argued that the absence of Israeli sovereignty creates a legal gray zone that enables extremism.

‘When there is governance, security and economic opportunity, there is no room for anarchy or violence,’ he said, envisioning Judea and Samaria as ‘the Israeli Tuscany.’

Is the Two-State Solution Still Viable — or Just Diplomatic Habit?

Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren told Fox News Digital that the two-state solution was never viable but rather a diplomatic reflex.

‘The Palestinians hold the world record for a people who have been offered a two-state solution and have rejected it,’ Oren said. ‘They rejected it in 1937, the British offer in 1947, the American-Israeli offer in 2001, and the subsequent offer in 2008.’

According to polls, Oren said, most Palestinians oppose a two-state solution and support the Oct. 7 attacks.

‘Rather, the two-state solution is viewed as an interim stage toward a one-state solution,’ he said, a phrase often used as a euphemism for the eventual destruction of Israel through demographic change.

While acknowledging Palestinian self-rule in Areas A and B, Oren said a fully sovereign Palestinian state is impossible.

‘It could not have control over its borders, nor control over strategic affairs, such as entering a defense pact with Iran. It will never be a classic sovereign state, but it could be more than what they have today,’ he said.

While a two-state solution once seemed inevitable, Dan Shapiro — who served as U.S. ambassador to Israel under President Barack Obama and as deputy assistant secretary of Defense for the Middle East under President Joe Biden — told Fox News Digital that it has not been viable for many years and may now be harder to envision than ever, particularly in the aftermath of Oct. 7.

Still, Shapiro said, the framework remains a fixture of Middle East diplomacy due to the lack of viable alternatives for resolving the conflict between two peoples living in one land, each with legitimate claims to a homeland.

‘President Trump includes a credible pathway to a Palestinian state in his 20-point plan to stabilize Gaza and remove Hamas from power. Presidents Biden and Trump have both viewed progress toward a Palestinian state as part of the formula to achieve Saudi normalization with Israel,’ Shapiro said.

‘None of this means it can happen soon, or perhaps at all. If it ever does, it will take longer and look different from earlier efforts. It is not a copy-and-paste of ideas from the Oslo era. But that credible pathway to a Palestinian state — one that would live peacefully alongside a secure Israel — difficult as it is, remains relevant,’ he added.

Shapiro noted that even Israel’s current government — the most right-wing in the country’s history and one that includes multiple proponents of annexation — has stopped short of applying sovereignty across the West Bank, a sign, he said, that the political and diplomatic costs remain too high.

‘President Trump has announced that it will not happen because he promised Arab states — the same ones he does business with and relies on to help stabilize Gaza — that it will not happen, and Netanyahu will not oppose him on it,’ Shapiro said.

Shapiro said that preserving the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state on some portion of the territory — even if it appears distant and would require major changes in Palestinian leadership and society — has remained relevant, even under Israeli governments that profess to oppose any two-state outcome. 

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota accused President Donald Trump of ‘deflecting’ after he took aim at her in a Truth Social post on Monday.

In part of his post, Trump said, ‘the DOJ and Congress are looking at ‘Congresswoman’ Illhan Omar, who left Somalia with NOTHING, and is now reportedly worth more than 44 Million Dollars. Time will tell all.’

The left-wing lawmaker fired back in a post on X.

‘Sorry, Trump, your support is collapsing and you’re panicking. Right on cue, you’re deflecting from your failures with lies and conspiracy theories about me. Years of ‘investigations’ have found nothing. Get your goons out of Minnesota,’ she wrote.

Before mentioning Omar in the Monday Truth Social post, Trump had also noted, ‘I am sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight. He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there. Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me. Separately, a major investigation is going on with respect to the massive 20 Billion Dollar, Plus, Welfare Fraud that has taken place in Minnesota, and is at least partially responsible for the violent organized protests going on in the streets.’

Omar advocates abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

‘ICE is beyond reform. Abolish it,’ she declared in part of a Sunday post on X.

In a January 18 Truth Social post, Trump said that Omar should either be jailed or sent back to Somalia.

‘There is 19 Billion Dollars in Minnesota Somalia Fraud. Fake ‘Congresswoman’ Illhan Omar, a constant complainer who hates the USA, knows everything there is to know. She should be in jail, or even a worse punishment, sent back to Somalia, considered one of the absolutely worst countries in the World. She could help to MAKE SOMALIA GREAT AGAIN!’ the president declared in the post.

Omar, who has served in the House of Representatives since early 2019, was born in Somalia and became a U.S. citizen in 2000.

President Donald Trump said Iran appears to be looking to negotiate with the U.S. amid a growing military buildup in the Middle East.

In a Monday interview with Axios, Trump suggested that Tehran had reached out on ‘numerous occasions’ and ‘want[s] to make a deal.’

‘They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk,’ the president told the outlet.

According to U.S. officials, also cited by Axios, any potential agreement would need Tehran to remove all enriched uranium, cap its long-range missile stockpile, a change in support for regional proxy forces, and cease independent uranium enrichment, terms Iranian leaders have not agreed to.

Trump also described the situation with Iran as ‘in flux,’ and pointed to the arrival of what he called ‘a big armada next to Iran. Bigger than Venezuela,’ referencing the recent deployment of U.S. naval assets.

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier entered CENTCOM waters in the Indian Ocean on Monday amid increasing threats from Iran, a senior U.S. official said.

Trump had told reporters Jan. 21, ‘We have a big flotilla going in that direction, and we’ll see what happens. We have a big force going towards Iran. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely.’

The U.S. military buildup comes amid widespread unrest inside Iran following protests that began Dec. 28.

According to a recent report from Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the confirmed death toll from the protests has reached 5,848, with an additional 17,091 deaths under investigation.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been sheltering in a fortified underground facility, according to Iran International.

Trump is expected to hold further consultations this week, Axios said, before adding that White House officials said an attack is still on the table.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

A top Senate Republican is demanding that the heads of several immigration-focused units at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) testify publicly before the Senate. 

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., called on the heads of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services (USCIS) to come before his panel, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, next month. 

In three separate letters to acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott and USCIS Director Joseph Edlow, Paul noted that DHS had received ‘an exceptional amount of funding to secure our borders and enforce our immigration laws.’

‘Congress has an obligation to conduct oversight of those tax dollars and ensure the funding is used to accomplish the mission, provide proper support for our law enforcement, and, most importantly, protect the American people,’ Paul wrote.

‘I write to request your testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs at an open hearing by February 12, 2026,’ he continued. ‘Please provide your availability to appear before the Committee by the close of business on January 28, 2026.’

Paul’s request comes on the heels of the second fatal shooting involving a border patrol agent and U.S. citizen in the last month since the Trump administration ordered DHS to enter Minnesota. 

Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good were both fatally shot by border patrol agents, which has prompted pushback from Senate Democrats and some Republicans on the Trump administration’s activity in the state. 

But Paul’s request is more focused on the funding element of the situation.

Senate Democrats are gearing up to block the upcoming DHS funding bill, which could thrust the government into another shutdown. And Paul wants to know how the billion already allocated to the agency, likely through President Donald Trump’s ‘one, big beautiful bill,’ are being used. 

Paul’s request also comes as DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee in early March after several months of not responding to a pair of requests from Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.