FORT WAYNE, IND. (WOWO) As a partial shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stretches on during the congressional recess, U.S. Sen. Jim Banks said Wednesday that negotiations are continuing behind the scenes, but he squarely blamed Senate Democrats for withholding the votes needed to f und the agency. Appearing live on Fort Wayne’s Morning News with host Kayla Blakeslee on WOWO, Banks described the stalemate as a political maneuver tied to disagreements over immigration enforcement and funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “Right now you have Chuck Schumer, the Democrat leader in the Senate, who’s withholding all of the Democrat votes,” Banks said, referring to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “Remember, it takes 60 votes, not just the majority of the Senate. We have a 53-seat Republican majority in the Senate, but we need seven Democrats to come on board with us to pass the funding package for this last piece of the appropriations puzzle.” According to Banks, Congress has passed 11 of the 12 full-year appropriations bills, with Homeland Security remaining the lone unfinished measure. “We’ve already passed 11 out of 12 of the full-year appropriations bills,” he said. “But the one that’s left is the Department of Homeland Security.” ICE at the Center of the Dispute Banks argued that Democratic opposition centers on ICE and its deportation efforts. “The Democrats are mad about ICE and they want to defund ICE,” Banks said. “They hate that ICE is deporting illegals out of our country, which is what the president, by the way, was elected to do.” He characterized the immigration crackdown as a central campaign issue, saying it was “the biggest reason that he won the popular vote and the mandate to deport the tens of millions of illegals that came in over the Biden administration through the open borders.” Banks also criticized what he described as Democratic demands to alter ICE procedures, including requiring officers to remove face coverings and obtain warrants in more cases. “They’re making demands that the ICE officers take masks off their face, which, by the way, is very dangerous because we’ve seen a 4,000% increase in death threats against our ICE officers,” he said. “There’s a reason that they wear those masks on the streets when they’re deporting illegals.” He added, “They also want a warrant every time that there’s an arrest for one of these illegals, which is absurd. These ICE officers are doing their job the best that they can.” Impact of the Shutdown While much of DHS continues operating due to essential employee designations, Banks said the shutdown is already affecting workers. “As you mentioned, it shut down last Friday. We’re on recess,” he said. “What’s mostly affected by all of this is FEMA now shut down… Our TSA agents aren’t getting paid. The Secret Service isn’t getting paid.” He noted that roughly 95% of DHS employees are considered essential and must continue working without pay during the shutdown. “So at the end of the day, the Democrats are holding these people hostage for their political goals,” Banks said. “Most people aren’t going to see the difference, because these people are working anyway. But the political game that the Democrats are playing is going to hurt a lot of people.” Negotiations Continue During Recess With both the House and Senate in recess, Blakeslee pressed Banks on how negotiations proceed when lawmakers are not formally in session. “You got Democrat leader Schumer negotiating with the White House and trying to make a deal,” Banks said. “You got a president in the White House who’s saying, ‘I’m not going to tie the hands of these brave men and women who make up the ICE organization.’” Banks also pointed to the involvement of former acting ICE Director Tom Homan in shaping enforcement policy. “Tom Homan is very involved in trying to make all of this work and correct some of the mistakes that ICE made in Minneapolis,” Banks said. “He’s providing that type of leadership that’s really important to make sure that ICE continues to be able to do their job and do it effectively.” Banks said Republicans are unified behind the funding bill and are seeking additional Democratic support beyond Sen. John Fetterman, whom he described as the only Democrat currently backing the measure. “You need six Democrats over this recess,” Banks said. “Hopefully they’re back listening to their constituents, who by and large support the mass deportation efforts that ICE is doing.” He also contended that ICE funding has already been secured through a broader legislative package. “In the big, beautiful bill, we funded ICE for the next year and a half,” Banks said. “ICE is funded, and Democrats aren’t being completely honest about that. It’s FEMA, the Secret Service, our TSA agents who are the ones that are going to miss out on paychecks and be most affected.” Looking Ahead As Congress prepares to return to Washington next week, Banks said he is spending the recess traveling throughout Indiana and meeting with constituents. Blakeslee closed the interview by wishing the senator safe travels and a productive return to Capitol Hill. “That’s Senator Jim Banks,” she told listeners. “He joins us live every Wednesday at this time here on the show.” The post WOWO EXCLUSIVE – Senator Banks talks Government Shutdown with Kayla appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM. ...read more read less