Adam Schiff grilled over Dems' DHS shutdown threat by NBC's Kristen Welker: 'Is it responsible?'

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: NBC's Kristen Welker pressed Democratic Sen Adam Schiff over the ongoing Department of Homeland Security funding lapse during a tense exchange on 'Meet the Press', raising concerns about national security risks amid reports of recent attacks and growing pressure.

Welker questioned Schiff about the partial government shutdown that has left the US Department of Homeland Security unfunded for nearly a month, noting that lawmakers are facing mounting criticism for failing to reach a deal.

Framing the issue around security concerns, Welker pointed to recent violent incidents in places like West Bloomfield, Michigan, and Norfolk, Virginia, while also referencing a letter sent to Congress by airline and cargo industry leaders urging lawmakers to resolve the impasse.

“Is it responsible for Democrats to hold up DHS funding with the threat of violent attacks looming during this conflict?” Welker asked.

Adam Schiff pushes back, blames Republicans

Schiff rejected the suggestion that Democrats were responsible for the stalemate, arguing that his party had repeatedly attempted to pass funding measures to keep key security agencies operating.

“So Kristen, as you know, we offered vote after vote, resolution after resolution, even as recently as this week to reopen those agencies, to fund them,” Schiff said.

According to the California senator, Republican lawmakers voted down those proposals, preventing them from moving forward.

“We said, ‘Let’s wall off ICE funding. Let’s fund these other agencies that protect the country,’ and the Republicans, one after another, voted them down,” Schiff said.

He added that proposals to fund agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, the US Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency had all failed to pass.

“Republicans are controlling both houses and the presidency,” Schiff said. “They can’t very well blame the minority party for their own inability to govern.”

Kristen Welker questions Schiff on war spending

Toward the end of the interview, Welker turned the conversation toward the financial cost of the ongoing conflict involving Iran, noting that the war had already cost more than $11 billion in its first six days.

She asked Schiff whether he would support additional military funding if the administration sought more money from Congress.

Schiff said he would not back further funding at this stage, arguing the military already has sufficient resources to handle the conflict.

“No,” Schiff said. “The military has all the funding it needs for this conflict, unless this conflict goes on for years.”

He pointed to a large defense allocation passed in a previous spending bill and said the Pentagon currently has the resources necessary to sustain operations.

Schiff also criticized the cost of the war, suggesting the billions spent on military operations could have been invested domestically.

“A hospital costs about $100 million,” he said. “If we’re spending roughly $1 billion a day in Iran, we’re effectively dropping ten hospitals a day on Iran, money that could have gone into schools, health care, or meeting the needs of the American people.”

He added that the administration was also using the conflict as justification for energy projects he opposes, including offshore pipelines near California, arguing those plans carried environmental risks.

“This is the cost, the human cost, of this mistake by the president to bring us to war again,” Schiff said.