Ceasefire: Governors Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) & Matt Meyer (D-DE) on DHS Funding

[00:00:00] and Governor M, we're in a a partial [00:00:01] government shutdown for the Homeland [00:00:02] Security Department here in Washington. [00:00:04] Is it having an impact in in the states? [00:00:06] >> We're not seeing much impact yet. Uh [00:00:11] we're just eager in in Delaware, as is [00:00:13] true in much of the country. We're eager [00:00:14] to see that partisanship and this is [00:00:16] about homeland homeland security should [00:00:18] not be a partisan issue. Now, the [00:00:21] there's certainly been overreach on [00:00:23] immigration. You can see it across the [00:00:26] country. people do not want untrained [00:00:28] uniformed officers coming in to yank [00:00:30] people out of cars to judge people based [00:00:32] on the language they speak or the food [00:00:33] they eat or the clothes they're wearing. [00:00:35] And I think that the Democrats here in [00:00:38] Washington, uh, senators in Congress [00:00:40] people are rightly standing up saying [00:00:42] that Homeland Security should not be [00:00:43] properly funded till we address this. [00:00:45] People are in fear across our state. [00:00:47] >> You've seen the Democrats demand here [00:00:48] demands here in Washington, 10 different [00:00:51] demands. Do you think that they need to [00:00:53] compromise though on those 10? I think [00:00:55] the 10 is a compromise. It's a [00:00:57] compromise on im immigration. Listen, [00:00:59] there needs to be comprehensive [00:01:00] immigration reform. In 2024, as Governor [00:01:04] Armstrong and Congressman Armstrong [00:01:06] knows well, they were very close to a [00:01:08] compromise to move that forward. And [00:01:10] until there's a change to to the, you [00:01:13] know, the 1986 law to address our 2026 [00:01:17] needs, I think it's very hard for there [00:01:19] to be any kind of sane homeland security [00:01:21] policy. Governor Armstrong, where do you [00:01:23] think the red line is on those 10 [00:01:25] demands from Democrats? [00:01:26] >> Well, I think the problem is, you know [00:01:27] what? It's not affecting ICE. ICE was [00:01:30] funded in the reconciliation bill last [00:01:32] fall. I mean, and I we haven't seen it [00:01:34] yet, but when TSA employees in the [00:01:36] middle of March stop getting paid and [00:01:38] people start having delayed flights, [00:01:40] people are going to be pretty [00:01:41] frustrated. But it's not having an [00:01:42] effect on Homeland Security. I've never [00:01:45] been a fan of negotiating for [00:01:47] negotiating in DC on something that's [00:01:49] actually not affected by what you're [00:01:50] doing. We've had these fights, by the [00:01:52] way, that have like on 702 [00:01:54] reauthorization, FISA reauthorization. [00:01:56] They get really clumbersome really fast [00:01:59] when you're negotiating for something [00:02:00] that has isn't actually affected in the [00:02:02] bill. And that's what's going on with [00:02:03] the DHS shutdown. [00:02:05] >> Well, Democrats, go ahead. [00:02:06] >> Wait a second, Governor. I'm not I'm not [00:02:08] a DC guy as much as you're a DC guy. I [00:02:10] don't necessarily understand all the [00:02:11] details from the negotiation in [00:02:12] Congress, but a few weeks ago, uh there [00:02:15] was a a total government shutdown we [00:02:17] were heading into. And I believe the [00:02:19] compromise is let's let's set aside [00:02:21] immigration. Let's discuss it in the [00:02:24] context of the homeland security bill [00:02:25] and resolve it in the context of the [00:02:27] homeland security bill. So now if you [00:02:28] come back and say well immigration is [00:02:29] separate. It's constantly trying to [00:02:31] separate out this thing. You got to [00:02:32] understand that in many communities [00:02:35] across our country there is deep-seated [00:02:37] fear. This is by budget the 13th largest [00:02:41] 13th largest police force in the world [00:02:44] that's now going into American [00:02:46] communities. There are no guard rails on [00:02:49] it in terms of due process. ICE officers [00:02:52] have shown certainly either within their [00:02:55] training or outside their training a [00:02:56] willingness to pull out their gun and [00:02:58] and use lethal force against Americans [00:03:00] who are simply protesting against the [00:03:02] work that they're doing. [00:03:03] >> My point is as a strategy, they're fully [00:03:06] funded. [00:03:07] >> I mean, they're fully funded right now. [00:03:08] where you're going to see the pressure [00:03:10] points are the Coast Guard, FEMA, things [00:03:12] that are really important to my state, [00:03:14] TSA, anybody who flies, anybody who's [00:03:17] flying in and out. So, I just think as a [00:03:19] tactic, it's a terrible tactic. [00:03:20] >> Do you think the Republicans correctly [00:03:22] strategically got through the shutdown [00:03:24] and now it's funded? [00:03:25] >> Well, the shutdown was we could talk [00:03:27] about the shut the original 80-day [00:03:29] shutdown on on healthcare that wasn't in [00:03:32] actually a part of the appropriations [00:03:34] bills at the time. And I think I I I get [00:03:36] a little frustrated when everybody [00:03:38] thinks they won and I think the North [00:03:39] Dakota citizens lose over an 80-day [00:03:41] shutdown. And I think that happens a lot [00:03:43] out here. I'm just saying right now ICE [00:03:45] is fully capable of of operating [00:03:48] significantly longer than TSA, Coast [00:03:50] Guard or FEMA. And I think that's a [00:03:52] tough negotiating position to put [00:03:53] yourselves in [00:03:54] >> after the optic.