Rep. Kevin Kiley: No Reason for Another Government Shutdown as Bipartisan Funding Moves Forward

Rep. Kevin Kiley, a Republican from California, declared on Thursday that there is “absolutely no reason” for another government shutdown.

Kiley stated that Congress has already passed bipartisan funding bills and warned that a shutdown would unnecessarily harm federal workers and key security agencies. Speaking on “American Agenda,” Kiley noted that the House had approved relevant appropriations measures with support from both parties, including a Homeland Security funding bill.

“We actually passed these bills already in the House with bipartisan support,” Kiley said. “And the Homeland Security bill has bipartisan support as well.”

He criticized efforts to use a shutdown as leverage, arguing it would cut funding for critical agencies such as TSA, immigration services, FEMA and others, leaving federal workers without paychecks. “The idea that they’re going to try to leverage this shutdown, which would result in no funding for TSA, as well as the immigration agencies, for FEMA and a whole host of others, causing people to go without paychecks, I think that’s exactly the wrong thing to do,” Kiley said.

Kiley also pushed back against claims that House bills fail to address accountability concerns. He noted that the Homeland Security legislation already includes reforms such as body cameras and improved training for public interactions. “It actually includes significant reforms when it comes to things like body cams, when it comes to training for interactions with the public, a lot of what they’re asking for right now,” he said.

The California Republican emphasized broad agreement in Congress on the need for further discussions but stressed those talks should not be tied to a shutdown threat. “I think that there’s a lot of agreement on both sides that this is a conversation we need to have,” Kiley added, referencing an upcoming oversight hearing in the House Homeland Security Committee.

He identified ending “sanctuary jurisdictions” as one of the top bipartisan reforms Congress can pursue. Kiley concluded by reiterating his opposition to a shutdown, stating lawmakers should continue negotiations without disrupting government operations. “But there’s absolutely no reason to force us into another government shutdown,” he said.