Senator Rick Scott appeared on Fox Business’s Mornings with Maria today to deliver a scathing critique of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding, directly linking the weekend’s security crisis at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to legislative gridlock in Washington.
The Florida Republican accused Democrats of playing political games with national safety following the dramatic evacuation of President Trump from the Washington Hilton on Saturday night.
The interview followed a chaotic scene in D.C., where Secret Service agents rushed the President to safety after shots rang out during the annual media gala. Scott did not hold back, labeling the lack of DHS resources a symptom of “Trump derangement syndrome” and a direct threat to the lives of elected officials.
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“Democrats are going to have to start showing up. This is ridiculous,” Scott told host Maria Bartiromo. “Not funding the Department of Homeland Security, trying to stop a ballroom. It’s all just Trump derangement syndrome—not paying Secret Service, not calling out people that want President Trump and other elected officials murdered.”
The Senator’s remarks highlight an intensifying battle over the federal budget. Scott argued that the safety of all Americans is being compromised by partisan delays, specifically citing border issues and security lapses.
“Democrats are going to have to start acting like individuals that want safety for all Americans. Fund Homeland Security,” he said. “We have people dying because of illegal aliens… They don’t care. This is despicable. They need to show up and act like Americans.”
Scott also signaled a willingness to take drastic procedural steps to break the stalemate in the Senate. He suggested that if the minority party continues to block DHS funding, the Senate should consider reforming or removing the filibuster to ensure the government is funded.
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“We ought to take a vote on funding ALL of homeland security. First off, we should never have been in this position,” Scott noted. “For Homeland Security, if it doesn’t pass, then we either have to have a talking filibuster and make people talk, or get rid of it because it was never supposed to stop a budget or stop a bill. It was to stop debate… Either Democrats are going to come along, or we’re going to get rid of the filibuster.”
As federal investigators work to piece together the details of the Saturday night shooting at the Hilton—the same site where President Ronald Reagan was wounded in 1981—Scott is demanding that every lawmaker be forced to state their position on the record.
“Let’s put everybody on the record… We have to fund the government,” Scott concluded.
The incident has reignited a fierce debate over executive protection and the adequacy of the Secret Service’s current funding levels, with Scott and other GOP leaders calling for immediate oversight hearings to address what they describe as an “inexcusable” breach of security.
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