Swing-District Democrat Says He ‘Failed’ by Voting for DHS Funding Bill

A Democratic congressman who voted last week in support of a bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security expressed regret for his vote following another shooting death in Minneapolis this weekend.

Rep. Tom Suozzi, a swing-district Democrat from Long Island, shared his thoughts in a strongly worded statement, saying that he “must do a better job” broadcasting his values through his votes.

“I failed to view the DHS funding vote as a referendum on the illegal and immoral conduct of ICE in Minneapolis,” Suozzi said Monday. “I have long been critical of ICE’s unlawful behavior and I must do a better job demonstrating that.”

Over the weekend, federal law-enforcement officials in Minneapolis shot and killed a second U.S. citizen protesting the presence of immigration officials in the state. As DHS is under growing scrutiny for its operations in Minnesota, the House voted on its final set of appropriations bills last week, which included funding for DHS.

Of the seven House Democrats who voted in support of the bill, only Reps. Don Davis and Laura Gillen responded to NOTUS’ requests for comment — both standing by their earlier support for the bill.

Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, a Democrat from Texas who also voted in support of the DHS funding package, said in a captionless video posted to X on Monday that his vote was “not to fund ICE.” The agency received a massive influx of cash last year following the passage of President Donald Trump’s so-called “one big, beautiful bill,” but is also set to receive additional funding through Congress’ annual appropriations process.

“What I was voting for was to ensure our federal agencies here in South Texas were funded,” Gonzalez said in the video. “So while we hold ICE and every other federal agency accountable, let’s do it thoughtfully, smartly, let’s make sure that our people here in South Texas continue to be taken care of.”

The federal government is on its way to entering a partial shutdown this week as a number of Senate Democrats have declared they won’t support the final appropriations package if the DHS funding is not stripped out before a vote.

“Senate Democrats will not allow the current DHS funding bill to move forward,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement Sunday. “Senate Republicans must work with Democrats to advance the other five funding bills while we work to rewrite the DHS bill. This is best course of action, and the American people are on our side.”