US Rep. Crawford: Defunding ICE a non-starter

U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, believes Democratic leadership working to defund ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] is hurting other critical agencies, and he feels there are conversations to hold regarding law enforcement changes.

“What they [Democrats] are trying to do is defund an agency that’s already been funded, but they’re willing to take other agencies hostage in the process. For example, TSA, Coast Guard, FEMA,” he said in an interview for Talk Business & Politics D.C. Edition. “Now look, you know and I know Arkansas, we dodged a bullet in the snowstorm. We got snow instead of ice, but our neighbors all around us got hit with an incredible amount of ice.”

Crawford said he’s open to talks about changing ICE and other law enforcement tactics and procedures.

“There are always ways we can improve law enforcement. That’s a conversation I’m always willing to have, but in the context of defunding for political purposes, that’s a non-starter. And everybody knows it,” he said. “They’re just playing a game with funding here because they think that’s going to affect what they want to see happen. But the reality is this is about preserving the funding we need to do things that don’t have anything to do with ICE.”

START Treaty
This week, the U.S. and Russia began talks on a new START Treaty, which has bilaterally regulated nuclear weapons between the two superpowers.

Known as the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), it was most recently signed in 2010 and lasts through early 2026. The treaty restricts the U.S. and Russia to a maximum of 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads and 700 deployed delivery vehicles, such as missiles and bombers. It allows for on-site inspections, data exchanges, and verification, ensuring transparency between the world’s largest nuclear powers.

Crawford, who heads the House Intelligence Committee, believes the treaty needs a refresh.

“I think there definitely needs to be a different path. We have always been on… the bad end of the stick, if you will, when it comes to these types of deals. I don’t have a problem with that lapsing. If they want to have a conversation whereby both parties can work out something that’s mutually beneficial, that’s okay,” said Crawford. “But the point being that these types of negotiations generally tend to favor the other party, and we’ve just not done a very good job of negotiating good deals for ourselves.”

2020 Election
Crawford also weighed in on the controversy surrounding Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard, who was on location for the federal government’s commandeering of election boxes in Georgia. The ballots seized are part of the continuing controversy that President Donald Trump claims rigged and cost him the 2020 election.

The First District Congressman thinks there is plenty of reason for an investigation into the matter to continue and he backs Gabbard being at the scene for the federal confiscation.

“It [the 2020 election controversy] hasn’t been settled. And that’s part and parcel of the problem because you’ve had the people that said it was okay, nothing to see here, have now been called into question about the veracity of that investigation, which is why they have continued on and taking another look, a deeper look at this and finding out really what happened,” he said. “I don’t think that was ever settled. It certainly wasn’t settled to my satisfaction. And I think the president agrees, which is why they continue that investigation. And if there is a nexus to a foreign entity, then absolutely Director Gabbard is in her lane.”

Crawford also gave guidance on more agricultural aid for farmers. You can watch his full interview in the video below.