Lawmakers are ratcheting up a showdown over funding for the Department of Homeland Security over concerns that the United States is at greater risk following U.S. and Israeli strikes in Iran.
After news of the attacks broke, members of Congress started sparring online with competing social media posts arguing over whether the partial shutdown of DHS, now in its third week, should come to a quick resolution. In a congressional hearing on Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blamed Democrats for halting her agency’s funding amid a heightened threat environment.
“As a result, critical national security missions, including border security, immigration enforcement, aviation security, disaster response, cybersecurity and the protection of critical infrastructure are all being strained,” Secretary Noem told the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Why We Wrote This
The U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran are sending political ripples through Congress beyond whether members back the action. Republicans are using the potential of retaliation from Iran as leverage against Democrats, who want immigration enforcement reforms before voting to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
The extent of what’s “strained” is unclear and may involve the agency’s own actions. DHS has reassigned personnel to immigration enforcement, which some analysts have said draws resources away from criminal cases that are key to national security. Ms. Noem herself was assailed by some Republican senators at Tuesday’s hearing. Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, called for her resignation and labeled her leadership of the agency “a disaster.”
DHS, which oversees the nation’s airport and border security, did not respond to the Monitor’s requests for clarity around which roles in the agency continue to receive paychecks tied to a mega spending bill approved last year. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, both part of DHS, were allocated roughly $140 billion from that bill.)
A shooting over the weekend in Texas added to security concerns, particularly among Republican lawmakers who raised the incident in their argument to fund DHS. Federal authorities are investigating the fatal shooting in Austin from Sunday – a day after the United States and Israel began bombing Iran – as a potential terrorist attack. Authorities say the suspect, now deceased, was a naturalized U.S. citizen who appeared to be wearing a t-shirt with an Iranian flag design. They said his motive is not known.
Though the measure is not expected to pass, House Republicans plan to vote again on fully funding DHS on Thursday to force Democrats to go on record against funding the agency. After federal law enforcement killed two U.S. citizens in Minnesota during immigration operations last month, Democratic lawmakers demanded reforms to immigration enforcement before voting to fund DHS. They contend that national security can still be maintained.
“Rather than protect Americans from terrorism, Democrats are playing politics and defunding the Department of Homeland Security, the agency charged with protecting us from that terrorism,” Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, told the Monitor.
Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal says DHS “has plenty of resources to investigate potential security threats in the homeland,” pointing to the funding from last summer’s legislation. “There is no reason for us to condone or encourage violations of constitutional rights and other illegalities in this country simply because we are fighting a war abroad.”
Among other concerns, “the Iranians, unfortunately, are quite adept at launching cyberattacks,” says Andy Keiser, a senior fellow at George Mason University’s National Security Institute.
“Congress would be wise to get its act together and get those departments and agencies within DHS fully funded,” he says. “The situation in Iran could certainly last days, weeks, even beyond.”
Confronting cyber risks
Formed after 9/11, DHS is a frontline agency tasked with preventing threats on U.S. soil, including cyberattacks. With the intelligence community wary of Iran-backed cyber crimes, observers have raised concerns about a downsized Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, a component of DHS.
Secretary Noem said the cybersecurity division “has lost thousands of workers who have been furloughed.” Recently, key officials have also reportedly resigned or been replaced. A CISA spokesperson did not directly address questions about current employee and funding levels, but referred to prior official remarks and an agency webpage on threats from Iran.
In partnership with the FBI, CISA is “the primary subgroup within DHS that is responsible for the critical infrastructure and the federal networks within the U.S. government,” says James Turgal, former executive assistant director for the FBI Information and Technology Branch, now a vice president at Optiv, a cybersecurity consultancy.
Critical infrastructure, such as water plants and dams, stands most at risk of an Iran-backed attack, due to that country’s capabilities, says Mr. Turgal. But the potential for attacks are wide.
He says there was some evidence of cyberattacks following the U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities last year. But now, he says, “you’re talking about all-out war. … The U.S. has now taken out the supreme leader,” he says.
Controversial changes within DHS
Some readiness concerns predate the shutdown.
Six Democrat-led states have sued the administration for ending Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention grant awards last year. DHS, which administers the funds, says on its website that the program is the only federal initiative “solely dedicated to helping local communities” with those prevention goals. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment about the lawsuit.
An ICE division called Homeland Security Investigations tackles a broad range of criminal investigations – including cybercrime and terrorism cases. Yet on his first day back in office, Mr. Trump ordered HSI to focus on enforcing immigration laws as its “primary mission.” Republicans contend that increased immigration enforcement nationwide is necessary after a crisis of illegal immigration during the past administration. President Joe Biden’s own FBI director had warned of national-security threats tied to southern-border entries.
While the scope of such reassignments – in and beyond HSI – is unclear, several news reports have confirmed them. In response, 29 Democratic Senators and Independent Sen. Angus King said in a January letter to the administration that the “national security implications are dire.”
National security experts have also raised concerns about similar reassignments and firings within the Justice Department’s FBI, which reports suggest have led to a loss of agents with Iran expertise. An FBI spokesperson said the agency does not comment on personnel matters, but “maintains a robust counterintelligence operation” with teams ready to assist partners at all levels of government.
A role for local and state law enforcement
As the Capitol Hill gridlock drags on, national security experts say state and local law enforcement also play key roles in threat detection – and response.
In Texas, the Austin Police Department has confirmed that three people died from the Sunday shooting, with several more injured.
Officials say the suspect, who died in the shooting, was a Senegalese man who entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2000, gained a green card in 2006, then naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2013.
An FBI field office said it was investigating the incident through its Joint Terrorism Task Force “in close coordination” with Austin police. Seventy-one Texas state lawmakers, led by Republican Rep. Cole Hefner, have called for full funding of DHS and a pause on all immigration until “proper vetting” is installed.
Local law enforcement across the country, meanwhile, have enhanced their own preparedness.
Following the Austin shooting, and with the Jewish holiday of Purim this week, officers will “maintain enhanced high-visibility patrols to sensitive locations citywide,” the New York City Police Department said in a post. A spokesperson for the Chicago Police says the department is “paying special attention” to houses of worship.
Staff writer Victoria Hoffmann contributed research from Boston.
