February 17, 2026 | Rapid Response | Sonali Patel

Democrats Cut Government Funding Then Bailed

Rapid Response

After voting to shut down the Department of Homeland Security — knowing ICE is fully funded but agencies like FEMA, the Coast Guard, and TSA would lose funding — Democrats flew to the Munich Security Conference.

 This is how Democrats represented America on the world stage:

  • Arizona Senator Mark Kelly criticized the U.S. and said it was "depressing" having to attend a completely optional event. 
  • California Rep. Sara Jacobs suggested the U.S. is as bad as the Sahel: “At this moment it feels very hard for us to...lecture them about human rights...”
  • California Governor Gavin Newsom suggested law enforcement officers were "Nazis": "Masked men, secret police, something familiar in Germany."
  • Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin seemingly shamed Americans: "When will the American people feel like the issues of Democracy are actually not someone else's issues..."
  • Hillary Clinton suggested that Americans were intolerant.

While Democrats were overseas during a partial government shutdown that they voted for, hardworking Americans were at home concerned about how they will make next month's rent.