House Conservatives Threaten to Shut Down Homeland Security

A band of Republican lawmakers on Thursday threatened to cut off funding for the Department of Homeland Security unless President Joe Biden ousts one of his cabinet secretaries, adopts GOP border legislation that would curtail asylum claims by migrants or makes other border changes.

The letter signed by 15 House Republicans, all from Texas, raises the possibility of a shutdown of the cabinet department as soon as Oct. 1.

Essential workers like customs and border, Transportation Security Administration and Secret Service agents as well as Coast Guard personnel would work without pay in that scenario while so-called non-essential personnel would ...