Republican Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, who holds the title of Chairman Emeritus for both the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Homeland Security, recently made an appearance on Fox News Sunday, dated March 15.

During the show, host Shannon Bream engaged McCaul in a thorough discussion about Operation Epic Fury. However, the conversation took a particularly serious turn when McCaul addressed the ongoing struggle in the Senate to secure funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He pointed out that the lack of funding, exacerbated by the Democrat-led shutdown, is undermining the nation’s ability to respond effectively to domestic threats, which are on the rise.

In a stark declaration, McCaul stated to Bream, “If they continue this, Shannon, they will have blood on their hands.”

McCaul’s comments come amid a growing realization among some Democrats, as noted by his colleague Rusty Weiss, regarding the dire consequences of the funding impasse.

Despite this awareness, McCaul criticized Democrats for prioritizing opposition to the Trump administration and pursuing changes to immigration enforcement, rather than focusing on preventing potential terrorist threats on American soil. The ongoing shutdown has led to numerous issues, such as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers calling in sick, resulting in extended lines and wait times at airports. Additionally, TSA and DHS personnel have resorted to working side jobs like Uber or DoorDash, or even selling blood plasma, to make ends meet. This situation has not yet prompted Democrats to take action, McCaul argued, leaving the country’s security at risk.

This may be slowing dawning on the Democrats, as my colleague Rusty Weiss reported.

Democrats’ repeated rejection of bipartisan bills to reopen the shuttered agency amid heightened threats from Iran-linked extremism shifted dramatically on Friday morning, when Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) publicly declared the need to fund DHS.

Slotkin is suddenly pushing to hold the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) debate separately from the department’s funding.

“Certainly, we need to fund the Department of Homeland Security, and we need, in my view, to cut away all the conversation on ICE, which is its own conversation, from all the core missions of the Department of Homeland Security.”

But as of today, Democrats are still more committed to owning the Trump administration and getting their “ICE reforms,” than they are about preventing another terror attack on U.S. soil that will take more lives. TSA officers calling out sick, leaving long lines and wait times at the nation’s airports; not to mention TSA and DHS agents being forced to drive Uber and DoorDash or sell their blood plasma to make ends meet. None of this has moved the needle for the Democrats, so, blood and carnage it is.

McCaul continued,

The idea of shutting down the Department of Homeland Security at such a high terror threat level is unconscionable. I think it’s political malpractice, it is criminal, and they’re going to have, if they continue this, Shannon, they will have blood on their hands.

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In terms of Operation Epic Fury, Bream read off legacy and right-leaning media headlines which exemplified pearl clutching, handwringing, and “Are We There Yet?” tantrums. McCaul correctly pointed out that the political and pundit classes’ impatience is uncalled for. 

“The military objective, has, within weeks — everybody is so impatient right now — but within weeks, I think we can have this accomplished,” he said.

When Bream asked about people’s concerns that the Iran conflict will continue to adversely affect gas prices and economy, McCaul said that while we are experiencing some short-term pain, the long-term results of the military objective will be well worth it; not just for us, but for future generations. 

I think when the military objective is done, you’ll see the price of gas go way down.  Again, controlling Khang Island, controlling Venezuela and the oil/energy exports there. Long term, we’re going to have more control over energy in this world than we did before the invasion of Iran. So, you have to look at it that way. For a couple of weeks? Sure. But long term, it’s going to put us far better off not just for my children, but for future generations. They’re going to look back at this an historic moment that freed up the Middle East and put it on a path of peace and normalization.

There has also been much propaganda afoot, fostered by legacy media and the influencer types sharing the unvetted, AI-generated deep fakes of American and Israeli destruction and defeat. Bream questioned whether the regime had really been overthrown. McCaul allied those concerns, but assured that any leadership change would need to come from outside the United States.  

The president said, wait till the bombing has stopped to go out on the street. I think that’s the key, once the military objective is completed, then the people of Iran can rise up. They need leadership, they need weapons, they need communications. I know Mossad and Israel, they know where the IRG targets are. We have decapitated the Ayatollah, his executive cabinet, but there are many more to do. When you get into that phase, it does get more complicated. And I do think it may not be the role of the United States completely — it probably shouldn’t be. I think Israel has a role to play in that one. But at the end of the day, free and fair elections in Iran is going to be a far better Middle East. And that’s the tricky part of this, but I do think it’s achievable.

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In terms of when the military strikes would end, McCaul confidently declared, “This whole thing started in 1979, it began with weak leadership by President Carter, and it’s going to end by strong leadership by President Trump. The military objective here is being accomplished. In fact, they’re ahead of schedule.”

Think about this: a world without Iran, without this regime of terror. A free Iran, where normalization under the Abraham Accords can now take place. Where you have the Gulf States now aligned against Iran. You have a free Venezuela, maybe a free Cuba, which was unheard of a year ago. The guts and the courage of this president to take this on for future generations even though short-term pain for long-term gain, is quite extraordinary.

The full segment with Rep. McCaul is below.

WATCH:

WATCH: @RepMcCaul says if Democrats continue to hold out for I.C.E. reforms to fund DHS “they will have blood on their hands.” pic.twitter.com/UefaIVJSzw

— Fox News Sunday (@FoxNewsSunday) March 15, 2026

Editor’s Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.

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