U.S. Representative Dale Strong, R-Alabama, criticized Senate Democrats on Wednesday for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security funding crisis, drawing backlash from congressional hopeful Andrew Sneed.
During a Wednesday event at D.C.’s Ronald Reagan International Airport, Strong appeared alongside fellow congressional Republicans, who delivered a series of statements placing the blame for the partial government shutdown on Democratic Senate leadership.
“In the three years, the short time I have served in Congress, this has got to be one of the top two dumbest decisions that I’ve seen since I’ve been in Congress. The first is letting 15 million illegal aliens into this country, the second is not funding Homeland Security,” Strong said at DCA.
According to the Center for Migration Studies, 10.9 million undocumented immigrants resided in the U.S. in 2024. The Pew Research Center, meanwhile, estimated last year that 14 million undocumented immigrants were present in the U.S. in 2023.
Strong highlighted that the House passed all 12 appropriations bills on time, going on to condemn the Senate for failing to reach a deal to finalize the DHS funding legislation.
“We did that by working bipartisan, and then all of a sudden, we negotiated this, the Senate agreed and then they backed out. Not on the bill, they backed out on the American people,” he said.
During an appearance later in the day before the House Homeland Security Committee, Strong expressed gratitude to TSA employees, who have continued working without pay during the partial government shutdown, which has now lasted 40 days.
“I am especially grateful to the TSA workforce at Huntsville International Airport, where operations are continuing, albeit at a slower pace, despite the challenges and financial strain caused by the shutdown. However, not every small airport has the same level of community support,” said Strong.
Strong argued the importance of funding DHS customs enforcement agencies, pointing to the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will hold games in 11 U.S. cities.
“We are less than 100 days away from hosting the world’s largest sporting tournament, featuring 104 matches across 16 cities – equivalent to three Super Bowls a day—for five weeks. And democrats continue to put politics over the security of our nation,” the congressman said.
Following Strong’s Wednesday comments, Andrew Sneed, a Democratic candidate for Strong’s congressional seat, condemned the incumbent for not joining a Democrat-led discharge petition that would fund the TSA, Coast Guard and Secret Service, in order to begin to paying the agencies’ employees again, while allowing Congress to continue debating Immigration and Customs Enforcement funding separately.
Funding for the immigration agency has remained a major sticking point for attempts at bipartisan negotiations of the funding bill.
“Dale Strong held a press conference yesterday in Washington, D.C., where he continued to blame other people for a problem he should be working to solve,” Sneed said during a campaign video filmed at Huntsville International Airport.
“This is an unserious performance about a serious problem. And this is the politics of division,” the candidate added. “The Fifth District deserves a leader who will always work to solve problems ahead of politics.”
The discharge petition, introduced last Wednesday by U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro, D-Connecticut, has reached 114 Democratic cosponsors, including both of Alabama’s sitting Democrat U.S. representatives. The petition will need 218 signatures, including four Republicans, to force a floor vote to fund the included agencies.
