{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cassidy-calls-on-senate-democrats-to-stop-inflicting-pain-end-the-dhs-shutdown/", "Cassidy Calls on Senate Democrats to Stop Inflicting Pain, End the DHS Shutdown", "2026-03-26", "2026", "2026-03", "Republican", "Senate", "LA", "Bill Cassidy", "C001075", "www.cassidy.senate.gov", "cassidy", "https://www.cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/?jsf=jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) delivered a speech on the U.S. Senate floor, calling on Senate Democrats to fund the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Transportation Security Administration (TSA).\n\n\u201cAt some point, [Senate Democrats] have to be willing to make an agreement,\u201d said Dr. Cassidy.\n\n\u201cYou should consider the pain that you are exacting upon fellow Americans, upon people who are not getting paid for six weeks even though they have bills to pay,\u201d said Dr. Cassidy.\n\nCassidy\u2019s remarks as prepared for delivery are below:\n\nMr. President,\n\nSomeone asked me today, since Senate Democrats keep moving the goalpost on DHS funding, what\u2019s the level of frustration amongst Republicans?\n\nYou know what I said?\n\n\u201cAsk the American people how frustrated they are!\u201d\n\nSenate Democrats are hurting Americans for their own gain.\n\nThe lines at the airport get longer.\n\nJust look at the people lined up at the airport in New Orleans.\n\nIf you\u2019re one of the people waiting in line at the airport, you should call up a Senate Democrat and ask them to end this shutdown.\n\nThe rate of call-outs from TSA staff exceeded 40 percent over the weekend.\n\nThey\u2019re calling out because they\u2019re driving an Uber or Lyft to pay the bills.\n\nIran gives us more reasons to guard our borders and coasts.\n\nYet Democrats say no every time.\n\nBy the way, we HAVE a solution\u2014a solution that Democrats initially agreed to, first when they negotiated the bill, and then once more!\n\nAnd now, they\u2019ve moved the goalpost again.\n\nClearly, they care more about appeasing their left-wing base than they do about solving this problem for the American people.\n\nIt is greedy, it is dangerous, and it is totally un-American.\n\nThey are intentionally inflicting pain on the people in this country who are just trying to make a living and do the right thing.\n\nWhen we, Republicans, the White House, try meeting Senate Democrats halfway\u2014even MORE than halfway\u2014they still won\u2019t budge!\n\nAnd the American people suffer the consequences.\n\nThe TSA agent I spoke to at Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans\u2014he is desperate for his paycheck.\n\nTroops and officers trying to keep our country safe and prevent Iranian cyber-attacks\u2014they are stretched thin.\n\nFolks traveling, trying to get back home or to a wedding or a funeral\u2014they can\u2019t!\n\nThey\u2019re showing up five hours early for a flight, just to miss it by ten minutes because the security line is so backed up.\n\nBy the way, DHS includes FEMA\u2014pretty important for Louisiana!\n\nWe don\u2019t know when the next hurricane could hit.\n\nBut we know that Hurricane Season starts 10 weeks from now.\n\nThe funds have GOT to be in place in case the worst happens.\n\nIf it does, if a storm hits our state and homes flood, FEMA won\u2019t be able to help.\n\nSenate Democrats know this. And if they wanted to fix it, they would.\n\nSo when you start to wonder, \u201cI wonder how frustrated politicians are?\u201d\n\nTry asking an everyday American how frustrated they are.\n\nProtect our country and pay our people.\n\nFund DHS.\n\nWith that, I yield the floor.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cassidy-calls-on-senate-democrats-to-stop-inflicting-pain-end-the-dhs-shutdown/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9790561161935329, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}