Trump roasts Schumer over 'we must fund ICE' slip: 'Thank you Chuck, I agree'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Sunday took a jab at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer after the New York Democrat momentarily admitted on the Senate floor that “We must fund ICE.”

Trump mocked Schumer as “discombobulated” and remarked, “Thank you, Chuck, I agree!"

Trump trolls Chuck Schumer over ICE gaffe

It happened Saturday, March 21, during Schumer’s remarks on the Senate floor, when he mistakenly blurted out, “We must fund ICE!” before quickly pivoting and correcting himself with, “We must fund TSA now!”

The stumble didn’t go unnoticed. Trump pounced on it the next day.  "Schumer got 'discombobulated' in the Senate yesterday, and said, 'WE MUST FUND ICE,' prior to correcting himself," the President posted on Truth Social. "Thank you, Chuck, I agree! President DJT."

The gaffe landed awkwardly, considering Democrats have spent the last 37 days effectively shutting down parts of the government by withholding funding for the Department of Homeland Security, in part to pressure cuts to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

But ICE itself hasn’t actually taken the hit. The agency remains funded thanks to last summer’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Shutdown fallout hits airports hard

While ICE continues operating, other parts of DHS haven’t been so lucky. Funding for agencies like the Transportation Security Administration has lapsed, leading to chaos at airports nationwide.

Long security lines are snaking through terminals, delays are piling up, and at least 400 TSA agents have reportedly walked off the job after missing paychecks.

Trump announced he would deploy ICE agents to assist with airport security starting Monday, hoping to ease the strain during what’s shaping up to be a packed travel season. 

For his part, Schumer has been pushing urgency on TSA funding. His remarks came as Democrats unsuccessfully attempted to carve out a standalone funding package just for TSA.

Republicans blocked that effort, arguing that funding should cover the entire Department of Homeland Security and not just selective pieces.

Standoff in Washington shows no signs of cooling

The standoff in Washington remains tense. Senate Democrats are currently filibustering the SAVE America Act, an election integrity bill, while also blaming Republicans for the ongoing shutdown and the ripple effects hitting travelers.

Republicans, meanwhile, are holding their ground. Key negotiators, including Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins and Homeland Security Subcommittee Chair Katie Britt, met Sunday to try to break the deadlock.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune made it clear where the GOP stands.

"There are lots of ideas swirling right now, some of which you know my colleagues are talking about, but obviously, what my sense is, at least the good news, and all that is people realizing this has to get fixed," he told reporters Sunday morning.

"It has to get solved, but the best way again, to solve it is to get Democrats to support funding the entire Department of Homeland Security, you know, not picking and choosing certain aspects of it," he added. "So we'll see where the discussions go today."

The impasse traces back to February, when Democrats agreed to fund most of the government but withheld DHS funding following the fatal shootings of two anti-ICE agitators in Minnesota by immigration authorities.

Since then, attempts to resolve the funding gap have repeatedly stalled. The Senate failed earlier this month to reach the 60 votes needed to pass a Republican-backed plan to fully fund DHS. A separate Democratic push to fund TSA alone also fizzled after objections from Sen Bernie Moreno.

Moreno later floated a two-week extension for DHS funding, but that was also blocked by Democrats.