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Sen Kennedy says he would accept Democrats' offer to 'open up everything' but ICE
By Taylor Penley
Published March 23, 2026
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said Sunday he would accept Democrats’ proposal to reopen the government without funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arguing Republicans could later pass immigration enforcement funding without Democratic support.
"I would accept the Democrats’ offer to open up everything except ICE at DHS. Then, the very next day, I would pass a reconciliation bill which crafts a budget for ICE," Kennedy told "Sunday Night in America" host Trey Gowdy.
"We can do it without any Democratic votes. Certainly the Democrats are welcome to join us. We can do it with all Republican votes. That's how we passed the One Big, Beautiful Bill…"
UNPAID DHS WORKERS ‘DISTRACTED’ AS TERROR THREATS RISE, FUELING AIRPORT SECURITY CONCERNS
Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, pauses while speaking to members of the media in the basement of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Kennedy said the current standoff is unnecessarily prolonging the partial government shutdown and hurting federal workers.
The situation has prompted unpaid Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents to consider calling out sick or seeking other employment as financial pressures mount, creating even longer wait times at airports across the U.S.
TRUMP SAYS ICE WILL DEPLOY TO AIRPORTS MONDAY TO ASSIST TSA AMID FUNDING STANDOFF
TSA agents scan luggage at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va. (Valerie Plesch/Getty Images)
"What we're doing right now is a Great Dane-sized whiz down the leg of every employee at TSA and everybody else at DHS who should be paid," Kennedy said.
"We're giving a bunch of pretty speeches on the floor, when the truth is, and everybody knows it, the Democrats are not going to vote for anything, anything, that has to do with ICE, because their party tells them they have to abolish it, and that's where we are. We can be open in seven days."
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