Amid ongoing concerns about security threats and the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY) has called attention to the need for Congress to pass funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In an op-ed published in Newsweek, Garbarino criticized Senate Democrats for blocking DHS funding, arguing that repeated shutdowns disrupt essential operations and jeopardize national safety.
Garbarino noted that House Republicans have passed a bipartisan full-year DHS funding bill for the second time this year. However, he said, “This DHS shutdown will not end until Senate Democrats decide to end their political games.”
He argued that while some congressional Democrats see these shutdowns as short-term measures for long-term goals, this approach is misguided. He pointed out that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) received significant funding last year but warned of broader impacts across other DHS components. “Democrats voted against funding DHS, even as a lapse in appropriations means a disruption in standard operations for DHS components that manage disaster preparedness, transportation security, and critical infrastructure resilience, as well as interagency coordination with other executive branch partners,” Garbarino wrote.
The chairman also highlighted risks to morale and staffing within the department: “The vast majority of DHS personnel are typically deemed essential during a shutdown, meaning they are continuing their missions to protect the American people without knowing when their next paycheck will come. Continued financial uncertainty for personnel threatens to harm staffing levels, undermine morale, and cause even longer-term damage to the Department as a whole.”
Citing recent global events and domestic incidents—including unrest in the Middle East and a potential terrorist attack in Austin—Garbarino described how some intelligence analysts were recalled from furlough to respond. He referenced testimony from ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons: “A DHS shutdown would have a significant impact ‘on the Homeland Security Task Forces and the men and women that are focused on the transnational crime and foreign terrorist organizations.’ Coordination without all our resources and full operational capacity is a gamble, and Americans are the ones forced to live with the results.”
Garbarino also addressed cyber threats linked to Iran, noting an increase in Iranian-affiliated cyberattacks following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes in 2025. He expressed concern about reduced staffing at CISA during the shutdown: “During the ongoing shutdown, only around one-third of the personnel at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), our nation’s cyber risk adviser, are still on the job.” As a result, key cybersecurity services such as vulnerability scanning are unavailable.
With less than 100 days before World Cup matches begin in 11 U.S. cities—a major event expected to draw nearly five million visitors—Garbarino warned about delays in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant funding that could hinder local security planning. He added that unpaid Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staff may lead to higher turnover: “More than 1,000 Transportation Security Officers decided to leave the agency during last year’s historic shutdown.”
He further cited concerns from Secret Service leadership about effects on morale if current conditions persist ahead of high-profile events like the World Cup final.
“Now is not the time to let our defenses down in the face of escalating threats from the leading state sponsor of terrorism and other adversaries across the globe,” Garbarino concluded. “Congressional Democrats need to make the right decision for the country and help us pass long-term funding for the department before it is too late.”
