Trending Now - Senate Hearing Highlights Tensions Over DHS Funding and Policy

WHO:

Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security

Senate Judiciary Committee members, including:

Dick Durbin, D-Illinois

Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa

Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina

Adam Schiff, D-California

Chris Coons, D-Delaware

John Kennedy, R-Louisiana

Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina

Alex Pretti and Renee Good, U.S. citizens shot by federal agents

Eric Swalwell, D-California, U.S. Representative

Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, House Majority Leader

Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, House Minority Leader

WHAT:

Noem testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 3, 2026.

The hearing addressed the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) funding and immigration enforcement practices.

Noem faced bipartisan scrutiny over the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

Democrats and two Senate Republicans called for Noem to resign.

Noem stated that over 100,000 DHS employees were working without pay for the third time in five months.

Noem claimed that 450,000 children entered the U.S. as "unaccompanied alien children" and that 145,000 had been located.

Scalise criticized Democrats for not supporting DHS funding amid security threats from Iran.

A bipartisan DHS funding bill passed in the House on January 26, 2026, with a vote of 220-207.

WHERE:

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing held in Washington, D.C.

The shootings occurred in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

WHEN:

Hearing date: March 3, 2026

DHS funding bill passed in the House: January 26, 2026

The partial DHS shutdown began on February 14, 2026.

WHY:

The hearing was prompted by scrutiny over DHS's immigration enforcement and the recent shootings of Pretti and Good.

The DHS funding lapse was due to a standoff between Senate Democrats and Republicans over immigration enforcement practices.

HOW:

Noem defended her actions and the DHS's practices during the hearing, citing the need for funding and national security.

Democrats demanded reforms to immigration enforcement as a condition for supporting DHS funding.

On March 3, 2026, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., facing bipartisan scrutiny over the recent fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis. During the hearing, Noem highlighted that over 100,000 DHS employees were working without pay for the third time in five months and defended the department's practices, while Democrats and two Senate Republicans called for her resignation. The backdrop of the hearing included a recent bipartisan DHS funding bill that passed in the House on January 26, 2026, amid ongoing tensions between Senate Democrats and Republicans over immigration enforcement.