Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, told Newsmax that Democrats are "trying to hold America hostage" as Congress fights over Department of Homeland Security funding, arguing Republicans won't budge while funding for critical security agencies hangs in the balance.
Appearing Wednesday morning on "National Report," Gonzales framed the funding fight as a high-stakes standoff that threatens frontline operations at the border and beyond.
"Essentially, what has happened is the Democrats are trying to hold America hostage yet again," he said, accusing the party of targeting agencies that "don't line up with what their agenda" demands.
Gonzales warned the dispute could ripple across public safety functions, saying Democrats are "trying to hold the Coast Guard hostage," along with the Transportation Security Administration and "CISA, which is an organization that keeps us safe from cyber intrusions."
"As Republicans, we're pushing back against that," he said, adding, "We're holding the line. We're not giving any leeway."
Gonzales also pointed to House action designed to shield core border enforcement from uncertainty.
He said Republicans previously passed the "big, beautiful bill" to ensure "Customs and Border Protection, along with ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement], is fully funded."
He argued that the brinkmanship on Capitol Hill is dangerous because emergencies at the border are not hypothetical.
"It's all fun and games politically until something terrible happens, until there's a real emergency that occurs," Gonzales said. "There are emergencies happening every day along the border."
He pointed to a fresh example from his home state of Texas, in which the Federal Aviation Administration announced on Wednesday a 10-day closure of the airspace around El Paso International Airport over security concerns tied to an incursion by a cartel drone.
The agency reopened the airspace just hours later, saying there was no threat to commercial aviation and that all flights would resume.
"These daily drone intrusions by these criminal organizations, they happen literally every single day," Gonzales said, describing the situation for residents and law enforcement as routine. "This is Wednesday for us."
He said he was "concerned with the closure of the airspace because that impacts the El Paso region economically" and called the episode unsettling for the public.
More broadly, Gonzales accused Democrats of using the DHS funding fight to obstruct President Donald Trump's agenda.
"What I've seen from the Democrats is more of the same," he said. "This is all about them trying to derail President Trump's agenda in keeping Americans safe."
Gonzales argued that Republicans should keep advancing spending bills without waiting on Democrat votes.
"That's why it's important that Republicans continue to not wait on Democrats," he said, noting that "11 out of the 12 appropriations bills have been passed."
He said Republicans in Congress are "not going to allow the Democrats to hold up the agenda in any form or fashion."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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