When the liberal media isn’t buying the Democrats’ talking points, you know they’re in trouble.
On Sunday’s edition of This Week, host Jonathan Karl walked Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) through the reality of the Democrats blocking funding for the Department of Homeland Security, and things got a little testy when Van Hollen was confronted with some uncomfortable truths
“I guess what’s confusing here is you have fought and blocked the funding for the Department of Homeland Security because you object, as you just outlined, to what ICE has been doing, and you wanted to force changes,” Karl said. “And yet, the only thing that has been assured throughout all of this is that ICE already has the money. Because, as you said, $75 billion passed in the budget bill last year.”
This isn’t new information; we’ve known for months now that ICE is funded through 2029, which made this standoff completely pointless, not to mention dangerous and reckless.
Karl pressed the point further, spelling it out in plain English. “So you’re holding up the entirety of the Department of Homeland Security because you object to ICE, and you want changes to ICE,” he said. “Through it all, ICE continues to have the money it needs.”
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That’s when the senator attempted to reframe the situation: “John, we’re not holding up all of the money for all the Department of Homeland Security. That’s just a false statement. We have said …repeatedly… we should fund TSA, we should fund FEMA, we should fund the Coast Guard. We are not prepared to give ICE another $10 billion …. on top of the monies they already have and are using in many of these lawless operations.”
Karl cut in again, bringing the conversation back to consequences: “But fighting over that $10 billion … you’re holding up everything else.”
Then Van Hollen had the audacity to claim, “We’re not holding it up.”
Karl wasn’t buying the spin. “And fighting over that additional $10 billion … you are holding up the rest of Department of Homeland Security.”
Van Hollen just stuck to the script: “We’re not holding it up.”
Karl wasn’t letting that slide: “I mean, but, but you’re saying—”
“No, no, John, we’re not holding it up,” he insisted, but Karl kept coming back to the same, irrefutable point. “But you’re holding it up unless it doesn’t include money for ICE. That’s just a fact.”
ABC: “ICE already has the money… you’re holding up the entirety of the DHS…”
VAN HOLLEN: “That’s a false statement…”
ABC: “You’re holding up the rest of DHS.”
VAN HOLLEN: “We’re not…”
ABC: “You’re holding up… that’s just a fact.” pic.twitter.com/fdLz7rrUZj
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 29, 2026
Remember, this wasn’t a partisan hit from a conservative outlet. This was ABC News, with one of its own anchors walking a Democratic senator through the basic mechanics of the standoff and refusing to accept the spin. We’ve been pointing this out for weeks now, but when a left-wing media outlet points it out, it tells you exactly how the Democrats’ messaging is simply failing to fool anyone.
And if the liberal media isn’t even buying it, it’s a clear sign the usual media safety net isn’t there to catch Democrats this time. Their messaging isn’t just weak—it’s collapsing under basic scrutiny in front of a national audience. And if they can’t sell this to their own allies in the press, Democrats should be panicking about this.
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