Johnson to press for Homeland Security funds on Sunday talk shows

The fight over funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will dominate the Sunday talk shows, as DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson makes the rounds to press for lawmakers to act.

{mosads}The department will shut down on Feb. 28 if Congress does not pass new funding.

At the center of the fight are President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. Republicans are looking to tie measures halting the moves to the new funding, while Democrats insist on a “clean” bill. With the two sides at an impasse, there is no clear path forward as Senate Democrats repeatedly blocked votes on the House funding measure.

Johnson will appear on five different Sunday shows to argue that DHS funding is too important to put at the center of a fight over immigration.

“This is not a situation to make light of,” Johnson said earlier this month on CNN’s “State of the Union.”  “In these challenging times, we need a fully funded Department of Homeland Security.”

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said last week on “Fox News Sunday” that he is “certainly” willing to let the department shut down. 

“The House has done its job under the Constitution,” he said. “It’s time for the Senate to do their job.”

A ruling by a federal judge in Texas earlier this week against Obama’s immigration actions has thrown an added twist into the negotiations. The administration announced Friday that it will seek a court order staying the ruling to allow the moves to go forward.

While the DHS debate is front and center, the early stages of the 2016 presidential race will also be in the picture on Sunday. Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R), as well as Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), all possible candidates, will appear. 

Here’s a list of Sunday’s guests:

NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, Rep. Charile Dent (R-Pa.). 

CBS’s “Face the Nation”: Johnson, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R)

ABC’s “This Week”: Johnson, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)

CNN’s “State of the Union”: Johnson, Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), former DHS Secretary Tom Ridge

“Fox News Sunday”: Johnson, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R), former NSA Director Michael Hayden, Gen. Jack Keane (Ret.)