John Thune: “one thing you can always count on is that Democrats have a lot of nerve. The Democrat leader has been out and about…”

“one thing you can always count on is that Democrats have a lot of nerve. The Democrat leader has been out and about, this week, criticizing Republicans for taking up reconciliation legislation to fund border security and immigration enforcement. This was his quote: Republicans are dragging the Senate through a partisan circus just to avoid basic accountability for ICE and Border Patrol. Let me repeat that: Republicans are dragging the Senate through a partisan circus. Is he serious? Because the shoe is entirely on the other foot. Democrats, through their stubborn refusal to seriously engage in bipartisan negotiations and their ultimate refusal to fund law enforcement at all, have forced us into a position where the only way we can fund law enforcement and border security is through reconciliation. A big priority of mine, when I became leader, was conducting appropriations through regular order. And despite Democrats' decision to shut down the entire Federal Government for 43 days in the fall, we were well on our way to passing all of fiscal year 2026 appropriation bills--all 12. We had a bipartisan deal on DHS funding--DHS funding for the entire Department--that included additional funding for body cameras for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, deescalation training, and increased oversight of ICE funding. But then Democrats reneged on that agreement. But did Republicans then move to reconciliation? Not at all.…”