White House Homeland Security Adviser Stephen Miller accused Senate Democrats of voting to defund the U.S. Secret Service and other federal law enforcement components, after Democrats blocked a Department of Homeland Security funding package amid escalating tensions over immigration enforcement operations.
Democrats voted to defund Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations (who partner with Secret Service) and all the intelligence and law enforcement functions that support Secret Service.
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) February 22, 2026
Never before in history has federal law enforcement been purposefully defunded.
In a post on social media, Miller wrote: “Democrats voted to defund Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations (who partner with Secret Service) and all the intelligence and law enforcement functions that support Secret Service. Never before in history has federal law enforcement been purposefully defunded.”
His remarks came shortly after Senate Democrats voted to block a House-passed bill that would have continued funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The measure received 52 votes in favor and 47 against but failed to reach the 60-vote threshold required to overcome a filibuster. As a result, DHS is expected to enter a partial shutdown.
The funding standoff follows weeks of mounting controversy over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and the fatal shootings last month of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis during encounters with federal agents. The incidents have sparked protests and intensified scrutiny of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency at the center of Democratic opposition to the funding bill.
Tom Homan, the administration’s appointed “border czar,” recently announced that ICE would largely withdraw its operations in Minneapolis, where tensions have remained high since the shootings.
Democratic leaders said their opposition to the DHS funding bill stemmed from the White House’s refusal to agree to what they described as meaningful reforms to ICE’s operations. Proposed changes included requiring agents to wear visible identification and body cameras, prohibiting enforcement activity near sensitive locations such as schools, churches, medical facilities and polling stations, and ensuring that local and state authorities retain the ability to investigate potential misconduct by federal officers.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats were seeking “commonsense” reforms and would not support continued funding without changes. “From day one, I’ve said unless there were really strong, meaningful reforms to rein in ICE and stop the violence, there will not be Democratic votes to fund ICE and extend the awful status quo that now exists,” Schumer said. “Democrats will not support a blank check for chaos.”
.@SenSchumer on recent vote blocking DHS funding: "Today's strong vote was a shot across the bow to Republicans. Democrats will not support a blank check for chaos." pic.twitter.com/FywGljJC2N
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 12, 2026
Republicans countered that blocking the bill would disrupt a broad range of homeland security functions unrelated to ICE.
The impasse is expected to result in a partial shutdown affecting agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard. However, ICE and Customs and Border Protection are likely to continue operating with limited disruption because Congress previously allocated $75 billion to those agencies in last year’s major tax and spending legislation backed by President Donald Trump.
Sen. Maggie Hassan said that DHS currently has “an extraordinary amount of money at its disposal” due to that earlier funding, suggesting that the practical effects of a shutdown may be narrower than critics claim.
Miller’s statement framed the Senate vote as an unprecedented step against federal law enforcement agencies, particularly the Secret Service and Homeland Security Investigations, which work closely together on protective and financial crimes missions. The dispute underscores deep partisan divisions over immigration enforcement and federal accountability, as lawmakers confront the twin pressures of public safety responsibilities and demands for oversight following high-profile fatal incidents.
