Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) on January 14, 2026 (Image: Screengrab via Senator Jim Justice / YouTube)
Semafor reports there was a time when a government shutdown was a sure sign that the party behind it was going to get hurt.
That may no longer be the case, and now Republicans are worried ahead of Saturday’s scheduled Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
“This is all about the midterms. That’s all it is,” Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) told Semafor. “The messaging of this, Democrats are really good at that. They really are. And they are really good at using stuff like this to be able to maneuver things to their political advantage. That’s what all this is about.”
Homeland security is doing its own part to sell itself short, however, especially after the release of numerous damning videos of ICE agents shooting Minneapolis mothers in the face and medical workers in the back. Semafor reports public polls show widespread concern that ICE and CBP have overstepped their authority and are abusing their power, sparking fears among some Republicans of “being politically outflanked by Democrats.”
Despite the Minneapolis violence, Justice told Semafor that all Republicans needed was better public relations, arguing the GOP has a strong record to run on.
"We message bad," he said,
President Donald Trump is eager to avoid the shutdown, reports Semafor. White House border czar Tom Homan was quick to end the administration’s immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota in an attempt to mollify a condition set by Democrats who are resisted DHS funding. Still, all Senate Democrats but one voted against funding DHS past Friday. And none will even agree to a short-term spending bill “to give negotiators space to finish the deal,” reports Semafor.
Sen. Katie Britt, (R-Ala.), offered a two-week patch for DHS on Thursday afternoon, but Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) objected.
While Republicans claim Democrats are making a mistake with voters by setting up a shutdown, it’s not clear who will pay the political price, considering Republicans caught the bad end of the last shutdown.