Adam Schiff says Republicans have rejected his request to fund FEMA separately
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Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said he has given Republicans a chance to protect the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from a continuing government shutdown that is expected to reach the one-month mark on Saturday after the DHS vote failed on Thursday.
Republicans believe the proposal was little more than a political stunt that ignored the core of the funding as concerns about threats from Iranian sleeper cells and airspace chaos.
“I just gave UC funding to FEMA and the Republicans shot it down,” Schiff said, referring to the Senate’s process for passing legislation at the same time, known as “unanimous consent.”
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., a lawmaker who has blocked UCs from closing in the past, criticized Democrats for, in her view, trying to shut down discussions of DHS’s biggest disagreement.
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Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) appears on “Meet the Press” in Washington DC, Sunday, October 5, 2025. (Shannon Finney/NBC via Getty Images)
“We would like that opportunity to continue to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security. Look, the people who sent us here have high expectations,” Britt said on the Senate floor.
“They expect us to have tough conversations. They expect us to find a way forward. That’s exactly what we’re trying to do today.”
Ousted Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., accused Senate Democrats of trying to tear the agency apart at the time it was created, as the Iran war has prompted threats of retaliation against the US by sleeper cells.
“And that’s the time when our country is under attack, all the warning lights are flashing red, and they want to slowly peel away, the Department of Homeland Security, the entire department of our government to protect the American people, because they want to stand with illegal immigrant criminals,” said Barrasso.
Schumer announced that Senate Democrats will continue to provide subsidized bills to reopen certain parts of the agency, such as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), while negotiations continue.
Funding for the Department of Homeland Security ended on February 14 due to the blocking of a number of demands by Democrats for changes to the operation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – changes that Republicans believe will handcuff President Donald Trump.
FEMA was supposed to receive $32 billion by 2026, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Among other things, Democrats have called for a no-mask policy, an end to patrols, stricter arrest warrant requirements and transparent identification of ICE agents.
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Although negotiations are still ongoing, lawyers said there are still serious disputes.
Like ICE, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) operates under DHS alongside other agencies such as the Coast Guard, the Secret Service and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed concern that the non-ICE reforms sought by Democrats threaten the nation’s preparedness to respond to natural disasters.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., indicated that Democrats would like to end that possibility.
“We just asked UC to do it… so,” Cantwell said of the DHS funding dispute.
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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appears as FEMA prepares for a winter storm that will hit much of the US in early 2026. (DHS photo by Tia Dufour)
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According to Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Katie Britt, R-Ala., DHS employees missed their first full payday this week. In addition, FEMA’s reserve funding decreased to $4 billion, the main account used to coordinate disaster response and recovery efforts.
Alex Miller of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
