House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., is warning Democrats not to play politics with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) funding, particularly as the country is on high alert for any fallout from the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

‘Put the safety and security of the American people first and stop playing political games to appease the far-left base, especially at a time like this,’ Scalise said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

The ongoing partial government shutdown centered on DHS, now in its 18th day, has taken on new significance in the wake of President Donald Trump’s military action in Iran.

Bipartisan deals have funded 97% of the federal government through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, but divisions between Democrats and Republicans over Trump’s immigration crackdown have prevented any such compromise on DHS.

House GOP leaders announced over the weekend that the chamber would vote this Thursday on a bipartisan DHS funding bill that passed in January in a bid to pressure Democrats to end the shutdown. 

That bill failed to advance in the Senate multiple times, with Democrats demanding new guardrails on immigration enforcement that Republicans have deemed nonstarters.

‘We are on a higher level of alert, and this is not the time for Democrats to be playing games and shutting down the department that is focused on keeping Americans safe here at home,’ Scalise said. ‘So we’re bringing this bill back up again to try to get them to come to their senses and open the Department of Homeland Security.’

The bill passed in a 220-207 vote in late January, with just seven Democrats crossing the aisle in support. All but one House Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., voted in favor.

However, Scalise said ‘any responsible member of Congress’ should vote for the legislation this time.

‘The country is watching and expects members of Congress to take the safety of the American people at heart. And so I hope we get a much larger vote this time,’ he said.

DHS is a wide-ranging department that was created in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

While it’s most recently grabbed headlines for actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), DHS is also responsible for a variety of national security-focused offices like the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the U.S. Secret Service.

Scalise pointed out that it’s also critical to keeping the U.S. safe during global events being hosted within its borders.

‘We had a hearing last week on the World Cup, the people in charge of security for the World Cup were saying that they may have to start canceling some events,’ he said. ‘And that was before Iran.’

Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley slammed Democrats who claim that the Iranian regime was not a threat to the U.S., calling the notion ‘absurd.’

‘It’s absurd for Democrats to say the Iranian regime was no threat to America. For decades, they targeted American troops, made the spread of terrorism a priority, relentlessly pursued nuclear weapons, built missiles aimed at our bases, and plotted assassinations against President Trump and other U.S. leaders — myself included — on American soil,’ Haley said on X.

‘When they chanted ‘Death to America,’ they meant all of us, at any cost,’ she added.

Haley told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum that the U.S. and Israel’s joint military offensive, Operation Epic Fury, was a ‘history-defining moment.’ She added that for President Donald Trump, her former boss-turned-political rival, it was a ‘legacy defining moment.’

‘They attempted to do diplomacy, and the Iranian Regime did what they always do. They lie, they cheat, they never tell the truth, and they always want to make sure in the back of their minds they want to harm people,’ Haley told MacCallum. ‘And we saw this when we got out of the Iranian deal, you know, years ago, that they were cheating then. I think that they were trying to get away with cheating now, and I think the Trump administration saw through that.’

The launch of Operation Epic Fury caused a sharp divide within the Democratic Party, with major players praising and criticizing the attacks.

Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., both of whom called the launch of Operation Epic Fury ‘illegal,’ are among the most vocal critics. Additionally, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., claimed that the operation lacked ‘strategic clarity’ and called for a vote on a war powers resolution.

‘Confronting Iran’s malign regional activities, nuclear ambitions, and harsh oppression of the Iranian people demands American strength, resolve, regional coordination, and strategic clarity. Unfortunately, President Trump’s fitful cycles of lashing out and risking wider conflict are not a viable strategy,’ Schumer said in a statement.

‘The Senate should quickly return to session and reassert its constitutional duty by passing our resolution to enforce the War Powers Act,’ Schumer added.

On Feb. 28, when the strikes began, Kaine said that Trump ‘launched an unnecessary, idiotic, and illegal war against Iran that puts America’s servicemembers and embassy personnel at risk.’ Kaine, as well as some other Democrats, called for Congress to return to Washington to vote on his war powers resolution. The resolution, which focused on Iran, was filed in January.

Sanders also issued a statement on Saturday criticizing the operation in which he slammed both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Vermont senator said Trump and Netanyahu had started an ‘illegal, premeditated and unconstitutional war’ against Iran. Sanders, like Kaine, called for a vote on a war powers resolution.

‘This attack against Iran is a clear violation of international law and will create increased instability in an already dangerous world. If the United States and Israel can launch an attack against a sovereign nation, so can any other country. Might does not make right. It creates international anarchy, death, destruction and human misery,’ Sanders’ statement read.

‘We must not allow Trump to force us into another senseless war. No war with Iran,’ he added.

There are Democrats who have praised the operation, including Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who has said that he would be a ‘hard no’ if Democrats forced a war powers resolution vote.

‘President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region. God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel,’ Fetterman wrote on X as Operation Epic Fury began.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., also praised the operation, saying that ‘confronting the Iranian threat is essential to national security and to global stability.’

He also called on the president to comply with the War Powers Act and said that he ‘requested an immediate classified briefing’ on the operation.

‘Today, the United States, with our key democratic ally Israel, took decisive action to defend our national security, fight terror, protect our allies, and stand with the Iranian people who have been massacred in the streets for demanding freedom from the murderous Iranian regime,’ Gottheimer said.

‘I applaud the extraordinary bravery and professionalism of our servicemembers and pray for their safety as Iran and its terrorist proxies retaliate against American bases and our partners in the region,’ he added.

The findings of two new national polls conducted in the hours after President Donald Trump launched strikes on Iran are clear — only a minority of Americans approve of the operation and Democrats and Republicans don’t see eye to eye over the attacks.

Twenty-seven percent of those questioned in a Reuters/Ipsos national survey conducted Saturday and Sunday after the start of ‘Operation Epic Fury’ by American and Israeli forces on Iran that resulted in the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said they approved of the strikes. 

A plurality, 43%, said they disapproved, with nearly three in 10 not sure.

There were similar findings in a CNN poll conducted by SSRS that was also in the field this past weekend.

Fifty-nine percent of Americans surveyed in the poll said they disapproved of the initial decision to strike Iran, with 41% giving a thumbs up.

As expected, there’s a wide divide between Democrats and Republicans.

Republicans questioned in the Reuters/Ipsos poll, by a 55%-32% margin, were supportive of the military action. The vast majority of Democrats, 73%, disapproved of the strikes, with only 7% saying they approved. A plurality of independents, 44%, disapproved of the military attack, with 19% supportive and nearly four in 10 unsure.

The partisan gap was even wider in the CNN poll.

More than three-quarters of Republican respondents, 77%, approved, compared to 32% of independents and 18% of Democrats.

According to the CNN poll, 83% of Republicans said Trump has a clear plan for handling the attacks on Iran, while 70% of independents and 88% of Democrats disagreed.

Overall, six in 10 said they don’t think the president has a clear plan for dealing with the situation, and 62% said Trump should get congressional approval before any further military action.

Both polls were conducted before the U.S. military announced on Sunday the first U.S. casualties in the operation — six service members killed.

The joint U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran is now in its fourth day as of Tuesday, with Trump saying the plan is ahead of schedule thanks to the early elimination of Iran’s top leaders.

Trump has said Iran is seeking talks with the U.S. as the military operations continue, but the president indicated he believes the opportunity for negotiations has passed.

The U.S. has urged Americans to leave 14 countries across the Middle East as Iran’s counterattacks intensify. The U.S. State Department has also closed embassies in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, the Gulf Cooperation Council warned Iran it will take ‘all necessary measures,’ including possible military action, in response to Tehran’s missile and drone attacks.

Minnesota filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the Trump administration, accusing federal health officials of illegally withholding $243 million in Medicaid payments from the state.

Attorney General Keith Ellison and the Minnesota Department of Human Services sued the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), arguing the funding freeze violates federal law.

The state is seeking a temporary restraining order to immediately block the action.

The dispute stems from a January notice in which the Trump administration said it would withhold more than $2 billion annually from Minnesota’s Medicaid program over what it described as ‘noncompliance’ with federal regulations, specifically, alleged failures to ‘adequately identify, prevent, and address fraud in its Medicaid program.’

State officials say they have not been told specifically how Minnesota is out of compliance or what changes the administration wants to see.

The lawsuit follows a Feb. 25 announcement from CMS that it was deferring roughly $260 million in quarterly federal Medicaid funding to Minnesota, including about $243 million tied to ‘unsupported or potentially fraudulent’ claims. 

CMS said the deferral is part of a broader fraud crackdown and cited unusually high spending and rapid growth in personal care services, home- and community-based services, and other practitioner services.

‘For decades, Medicare fraud has drained billions from American taxpayers — that ends now,’ HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement. ‘We are replacing the old ‘pay and chase’ model with a real-time ‘detect and deploy’ strategy, using advanced AI tools to identify fraud instantly and stop improper payments before they go out the door.’

Minnesota officials contend the move improperly uses a funding ‘deferral’ mechanism and amounts to denying the state due process before any formal finding of noncompliance.

The threatened cuts represent about 7% of Minnesota’s quarterly Medicaid funding and could force reductions in healthcare services for low-income residents, according to Ellison’s office.

‘Trump’s M.O. is to cut first, no matter what the law says or who gets hurt, and ask questions later, if at all,’ the attorney general said. ‘These cuts are the latest in a long series of efforts to go around the law to punish Minnesotans — but just as we fought back and won when they illegally tried to cut funding for childcare, hungry families and our schools, we are suing them again today to make them follow the law.’

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee described what he believes is the ‘best option’ for Americans looking to flee Israel amid the ongoing unrest across the Middle East. 

Huckabee said overnight, ‘We are getting a lot of requests regarding evacuating from Israel from American citizens who are currently in Israel or who have family here,’ and that there are ‘very limited’ options available. 

‘As of now, the best is utilizing Israel’s Ministry of Tourism shuttle bus to Taba, Egypt and getting flights from there or going on to Cairo for flights back to the U.S.,’ Huckabee said on X. ‘Not sure when Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv will reopen.  Hopefully soon, but even when it does, there will be VERY limited flights with priorities to those who already were ticketed by El Al. Doubtful that other airlines will fly in/out for a while.’ 

‘The Ministry of Tourism is operating buses to Taba. That crossing is further away, but it’s open 24/7. There are some flights from Taba, but there are also options to get to Cairo, and it’s operating normally except to Middle Eastern countries. To get out, it’s the best option for now,’ Huckabee added. 

Huckabee also said he does not recommend Americans exit via Jordan at this time, as ‘Flights are not consistent and access across the Allenby crossing has limited hours.’ 

‘All of our personnel from [the] embassy are sheltering in place, but I realize you may need to get people out and back home and not continue to incur hotel costs,’ the ambassador wrote. 

U.S. Embassy Jerusalem said in a statement early Tuesday morning that it is ‘not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel.’ It also mentioned the Israeli Ministry of Tourism’s buses to Taba.

‘To be added to the passenger list for a shuttle, you must register via the Ministry’s evacuation form,’ it said.  

‘The U.S. Embassy cannot make any recommendation (for or against) the Ministry of Tourism’s shuttle. If you choose to avail yourself of this option to depart, the U.S. government cannot guarantee your safety,’ it added.