Nancy Mace pressed on CNN as Democrat rebuts her DHS funding claims
ATLANTA, GEORGIA: Republican Rep Nancy Mace found herself challenged mid-discussion on CNN's 'State of the Union' on March 29, Sunday, after her claims about a Senate Department of Homeland Security funding bill were directly contradicted on air.
The exchange, moderated by Jake Tapper, quickly turned into a back-and-forth over what the legislation actually funded and who was responsible for the ongoing gridlock.
Nancy Mace claims 'DHS bill funded TSA only'
The conversation began with Tapper pointing to visible cracks within Republican ranks.
“Republican-on-Republican violence there. Shutdown talks are breaking down. Republicans in the House and on the Senate not on the same page,” he said.
Mace backed that criticism, saying, “We are at war and the Senate decided not to fund the Coast Guard, not to fund our border patrol and only our TSA agents. It was unacceptable.”
She added that Donald Trump also opposed the proposal, arguing, “Senator Thune needs to reconvene the Senate and approve what the House did on Friday.”
When Tapper pressed for clarity, “I thought that the Senate compromise funded everything except for ICE and Customs and Border Patrol” Mace doubled down.
“Oh, it funded TSA only. It was my understanding of it but we didn’t get funding for Border Patrol,” she said.
She emphasized the stakes, adding, “That was very important, especially when you have the national security risks we have right now. We should be funding all those things, all of it together.”
Democrat Suhas Subramanyam Counters Nancy Mace
Democratic Rep Suhas Subramanyam immediately pushed back on Mace’s characterization.
“That’s not how I read it,” he said, offering a sharply different interpretation of the bill.
“It funded everything but ICE basically and part of CBP,” he explained. “And in fact they actually funded parts of CBP that deal with visas for instance.”
Subramanyam also pointed to bipartisan support behind the measure, adding, “It was a deal that the Senate Republicans passed unanimously with House Democrats willing to support it.”
He framed the disagreement as part of the legislative process, saying, “We didn’t get everything we wanted either. But that’s how compromise works. That’s how deals work in Congress.”
Then, turning up the political heat, he added, “House Republicans are the only thing standing in the way of ending this airport chaos right now.”
Mace attempted to push back, briefly interjecting, “That’s just not true,” but the conversation moved on before she could expand further.
