ICE has become a militant organization in our communities that uses excessive force and scare tactics to rip families apart while operating under weak training standards with no accountability for their actions. We saw this in the cases of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, along with dozens of others who died in ICE custody in 2025. ICE cannot continue to operate in its current form. Secretary Noem must resign or be impeached for her commitment to depriving citizens of their constitutional rights and immigrants their basic humanity in service of a poorly executed and illegal immigration enforcement agenda. At minimum, we must reform the agency's tactics, training, and use-of-force rules.   

But let me be clear – shutting down unrelated parts of the government would not have taken their money away or resolved their lawlessness. President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” - which I opposed -already funded ICE for the next four years, totaling over $170 billion. It would, however, have forced Americans who rely on the other five agencies included in the package – Labor-Health and Human Services, Transportation-Housing and Urban Development, Defense, Financial Services and General Government, and National Security, Department of State – to pay the price of another prolonged shutdown. That means thousands of federal employees furloughed or forced to work without pay, and millions of Americans forced to go without basic services they depend on.  

Shutting down 75 percent of the federal government would be chaos. As we saw during the 43-day shutdown at the end of last year, hardworking Americans lose during a shutdown. Shutdowns are anti-worker. In San Diego alone, tens of thousands of workers missed paychecks, and critical government services ceased. San Diego is also a proud military service community. The hundreds of thousands of service members and federal workers in my district should never be used as collateral damage. 

A government shutdown is bad governing. Congress holds the power of the purse, and the American people deserve a responsible, results-driven approach. Shutdowns are simply a failure of Congress to do its job, work together, and fund the government. 

• The Bulwark shares a concerning look at how President Trump’s attacks on science, immigrants, and federal workers has led to “masochistic levels of economic self-sabotage.” 

• ABC shares important updates on life in the Islamic Republic at this consequential moment as the Iranian people continue to display courage and resilience in their demand for civil rights.