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‘How do you sleep at night?’ Moreno slams ‘disgraceful’ shutdown leaving 260,000 workers without pay

‘How do you sleep at night?’ Moreno slams ‘disgraceful’ shutdown leaving 260,000 workers without pay

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, lambasted his Democratic colleagues for blaming Republicans for the partial government shutdown during a Congressional hearing on Wednesday, calling their behavior “disgusting” and “disgraceful.” Moreno used his allotted time during Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s confirmation hearing for the Department of Homeland Security Secretary to focus on the close to 260,000 DHS employees, which includes Transportation Security Administration employees, who have gone without a paycheck for more than a month. “260,000 American citizen families who have not received a paycheck in over a month. None of those people are in charge of policy,” Moreno said. “It’s not one of those families that makes policy decisions. For the most part, that’s on the people here. There isn’t a single human being on this dais that has missed a paycheck. Every single one of us has gotten a paycheck the last 30 days and before that.” ‘YOU CAN CRY ABOUT IT’: TEMPERS FLARE IN SENATE AS DHS SHUTDOWN DEBATE ERUPTS, STALEMATE DIGS DEEPER Moreno argued that the real victims of the government shutdown are DHS employees. “They’re having to tell their kids they can’t send them to dance recital because they did everything right in life except got a job with the Department of Homeland Security so that a politician can make a 30-second video online to fundraiser for the next election,” he said. “That’s disgusting.”   Weeks ago, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., posted a video on social media vowing to vote against funding DHS until reforms are made to the agency.  CORNYN CLASHES WITH PROGRESSIVE REP GREG CASAR IN HEATED AIRPORT FACE-OFF OVER DHS SHUTDOWN Moreno then turned his attention toward Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs ranking member Gary Peters, D-Mich., accusing him of failing to keep his promise of keeping key agencies funded. But Peters wasn’t paying attention. Moreno called it “incredibly disrespectful” before laying in on Peters.  “You said you’re going to fund all these agencies,” Moreno said to Peters. “Here’s one that you haven’t funded.” Moreno showcased a large poster board, which shared how the mission of DHS was being compromised by the government shutdown. At the top of the board was listed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. “USCIS is near and dear to my heart,” Moreno said. “That’s how I became a US citizen. We’ve defunded the agency that allows legal immigrants into this country. That is insane. Never hear the Democrats talk about that. 3,300 employees, trying to process legal immigrants. They don’t get a paycheck.” He also railed against the defunding of Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration Customs and Enforcement. “Are you suggesting that we not fund an organization that tracks transnational organizations?” Moreno rhetorically asked Democrats of ICE funding. “Be specific. When you say you don’t want to fund ICE, I want you to say the words ‘we do not want to fund 7,000 special agents that are in charge of stopping transnational criminal organizations, drug smugglers, and human traffickers.” Moreno’s comments during Mullin’s Senate confirmation hearing come a day after Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., accused Democratic leadership of holding DHS agencies “hostage” amid negotiations for appropriations. Fox News Digital reached out to Sen. Peters for comment. 

GOP governors, AGs back Trump SAVE Act push, warn system gives ‘undue influence’ to states with illegal aliens

GOP governors, AGs back Trump SAVE Act push, warn system gives ‘undue influence’ to states with illegal aliens

FIRST ON FOX: Republican governors and attorneys general are backing President Donald Trump’s push to require proof of citizenship for voting, warning in an exclusive letter that current registration systems rely on an “honor system” and fail to adequately verify who is casting ballots in federal elections. The coalition argued the gaps give states with large populations of people in the country illegally “undue influence” over federal elections and how billions in taxpayer dollars are distributed. The letters, from members of the America First Policy Institute’s (AFPI) Governors and Attorneys General Councils and obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, show coordinated support from Republican state leaders for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, legislation Trump has previously said he has to sign before he’ll sign anything else. Trump has recently ramped up pressure on Congress to pass the SAVE Act, aka the SAVE America Act, calling mail-in voting “corrupt as h—“ as the legislation moved to the Senate floor this week. THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE ‘TALKING FILIBUSTER’ AND THE SAVE ACT “The biggest thing coming up is the SAVE America Act in the Senate,” Trump said Tuesday, adding, “Who would not have voter ID, who would not have proof of citizenship? … The only people who would want not to have that are people that want to cheat.” Senate Republicans have already taken initial steps to advance the bill, voting 51-48 to begin debate, though its path forward remains uncertain as Democrats remain unified in opposition. In a letter to Senate leadership, members of AFPI’s Governors Council described the SAVE America Act as a “commonsense measure” to ensure elections are decided “by, and only by, American citizens.” GOP TRIGGERS MARATHON SENATE FIGHT TO EXPOSE DEMS’ OPPOSITION TO TRUMP-BACKED VOTER ID BILL The letter was signed by a group of Republican governors, including Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, as well as attorneys general from states including Iowa, Alabama and South Carolina. They argued that while federal law limits voting in federal elections to U.S. citizens, states are “not required to verify citizenship at the time of registration.” “States with large illegal populations and little to no safeguards… unfairly hold undue influence in our Nation’s law-making process and how billions of dollars in tax revenue are distributed,” the governors wrote. REPS. FINE, SELF, HARRIS, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: WE’LL BLOCK THE SENATE UNTIL THE SAVE ACT PASSES The governors also pointed to gaps in current systems, noting that while many states require identification at the polls, others lack mechanisms to verify eligibility at the registration stage. They said they are prepared to work with state election officials to implement the law in a way that protects access for eligible voters while strengthening safeguards. In a separate letter, Republican attorneys general echoed those concerns, focusing on enforcement and the structure of current voter registration systems. “Existing voter registration procedures largely rely on the honor system, with voters simply checking a box to claim U.S. citizenship without requiring any documentary verification,” the group wrote. The attorneys general said the SAVE Act would close that gap by requiring applicants to provide “documentary proof of United States citizenship” when registering to vote in federal elections. They emphasized that the bill would preserve state control over election administration. “[The SAVE Act] does not nationalize elections,” the group wrote, adding that it also would not “disenfranchise American citizens.” The attorneys general also pushed back on criticism of the proposal, writing: “It is an insult to suggest that minorities, women, or members of the working class are not smart enough to obtain and provide simple proofs of citizenship.” The governors said they are committed to implementing the law in a way that ensures “no eligible American citizen is unduly burdened” while preventing ineligible registrations. “Our constituents deserve to know that their votes are protected and that elections in this country are free, fair, and secure,” they wrote. The governors’ letter and attorneys’ general letter can be read at the links provided here. Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this reporting.