Rep. Mark Alford Calls DHS Shutdown ‘Stupidest’ in U.S. History

By Nicole Weatherholtz | Thursday, February 19, 2026, 11:24 AM EST

Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., did not mince words Thursday, calling the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown “the stupidest” in American history.

He blamed Democrats for what he described as a manufactured crisis.

“This is the stupidest shutdown in U.S. history,” Alford said. “I thought the one back in November — the longest shutdown in U.S. history — was dumb.”

Alford argued that Democrats are driving the standoff because they “have no message, no vision, no leader” and are “trying to grasp at straws to create subject matter for the midterms, to get the public on their side.”

He said the real dispute centers on immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump, which he noted was a key campaign promise.

“Seventy-four million Americans voted for this platform — this plank in this platform — to deport illegal aliens, especially criminal illegal aliens,” Alford added. “They don’t like the way that ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] is going about that, and so, they have decided to shut down the government.”

Alford noted that ICE funding itself is not in question, as Republicans have already secured resources for the agency through 2028.

“We funded — fully funded — ICE through the one big, beautiful bill for four years,” he said.

At present, the only appropriation bill the Senate is “holding out on” is the one that funds DHS. Alford explained that the measure provides $20 million in funding for body cameras as well as money for additional training for ICE officers.

“So really, they have no leg to stand on,” he said.

Alford predicted that the American people will not “put up with another stupid shutdown” by Democrats and warned the standoff would intensify ahead of the president’s State of the Union address.

“They’re trying to make a stink,” he said. “I think they’re going to make an even bigger stink Tuesday, when the president addresses the joint members of Congress for his annual State of the Union address, and then it will probably be over.”

Alford also stated that Democrats are not punishing ICE but instead are targeting other agencies: “They’re not punishing ICE. They’re punishing the Coast Guard not getting paid, Secret Service not getting paid, FEMA not getting paid.”

He added that once pressure mounts on Democrats, they will see they are wrong and “give in to this” — but Alford warned it would be for naught.