Four Democrats made a surprising move, crossing party lines to vote in favor of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill that aims to put an end to the partial government shutdown, as reported by The Hill. This vote came despite strong opposition from their own party’s leadership, creating a bit of a stir on Capitol Hill.
The four representatives who sided with Republicans on this measure were Henry Cuellar from Texas, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez from Washington, Jared Golden from Maine, and Don Davis from North Carolina. What’s particularly interesting is that these same four had previously voted for a nearly identical DHS bill back in January.
This time around, their “yes” votes were a bit of a flip-flop for some, especially after the tragic death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis nurse and U.S. citizen, at the hands of immigration agents. That incident sparked outrage among many Democrats, making people wonder if those who voted yes in January would do so again. It’s worth noting that Republicans had also been ramping up pressure on Democrats to support the DHS bill, especially with the ongoing U.S. military operation against Iran.
Republicans were citing heightened threats to Homeland Security as a major concern
However, even with all that pressure, three other Democrats who had voted “yes” in January changed their minds and opposed the funding bill this Thursday. Those were Representatives Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi from New York, and Vicente Gonzalez from Texas. Overall, 209 Democrats voted against the bill, which ultimately passed with a 221-209 vote.
Jared Golden’s vote, though, wasn’t much of a shocker. He’s a centrist from Maine who’s built a reputation for being an independent-minded pragmatist. He’s totally willing to vote against his party when he feels it’s best for his district. Plus, he’s always said he won’t support shutting down the government on previous spending votes.
Golden explained his stance in a statement, saying, “With ICE already funded independently through the ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ this shutdown hasn’t affected their operations, it’s only blocked paychecks for Coast Guardsmen and TSA workers while harming FEMA’s ability to respond to emergencies. It never made sense to shut down everything at DHS except ICE when the debate is about ICE.”
Representative Cuellar, who’s the ranking member on the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, has consistently pushed for the DHS bill to pass. He argued: “It’s better than the alternative: leaving the department with a blank check, virtually unchecked by the Appropriations Committee and by Congress. Allowing DHS to operate under a continuing resolution or trying to shut it down, ICE would ensure that they have no direction from Congress.”
These Democrats have also highlighted how the shutdown has really made life tougher for their constituents. Don Davis, for instance, noted in a January statement that people in eastern North Carolina “face the realities of hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters firsthand and rely on the U.S. Coast Guard to protect our coastline and families.”
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez echoed that sentiment, stating in January that “in a DHS shutdown, ICE would continue operating with limited oversight thanks to funding in the One Big Beautiful Bill, which I voted against. Meanwhile, agencies like the Coast Guard or FEMA, and communities like mine, would take the hit.”
Despite these arguments, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other top Democratic leaders had actively worked to gather votes against the bill. The vote itself happened just hours after President Trump announced a change at the top of Homeland Security, replacing Secretary Kristi Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin from Oklahoma.
Jeffries made it clear that a personnel change isn’t enough for Democrats. He stated on Thursday, “House Democrats will continue to demand bold, meaningful and transformational changes until ICE, CBP and all DHS agencies and officers conduct themselves in a manner consistent with every law enforcement agency in the country.”
Published: Mar 6, 2026 08:00 am