Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ) blasted Democrats for their "massive gaslighting campaign" to blame Republicans for the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
During a recent House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Rep. Crane sarcastically called the hearing "amazing... even for Washington standards," citing a high level of "gaslighting and lies." He noted that all Republicans in the House Homeland Security Committee previously voted to fund DHS earlier this year. No Democrat voted in favor.
"And this is what happens in Washington," Rep. Crane continued. "It is not really about truth or facts, it is about narrative, and who can get their narrative out."
Representative Lou Correia (D-CA) tried to argue that the heads of agencies under DHS authority, such as FEMA and the TSA, should have requested the reallocation of federal funds, which the hearing witnesses representing these agencies were unaware of.
"I am asking you because a lot of the American people seem to be falling for this massive gaslighting campaign that this is a Republican shutdown," Rep. Crane commented.
The Arizona congressman shared news reports of four recent terror attacks perpetrated by Islamic terrorists, those being the Austin bar shooting, the attempted bombing in New York City, the Old Dominion shooting, and the attempted attack on the West Bloomfield synagogue.
"This is what we are dealing with right now," Crane warned. "Not a great time to have the Department of Homeland Security, whose job it is to protect American citizens, be shut down."
Crane displayed previous quotes from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) arguing against government shutdowns, with the former saying, "We should not shut down the government over disputes," and the latter saying lawmakers "cannot let any of that happen."
