DHS panel begins with clash over letting El Paso lawmaker question witnesses

A hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday began with a clash over permitting Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, to sit as a guest on the panel and question witnesses.

Ranking member Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., used his opening statement to make the request, which Chairman Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., denied.

Thompson called it "highly unusual" for the chairman to deny the request, given that Escobar represents a district so immediately impacted by the subject of the hearing.

Garbarino, for his part, contended that he had made the decision to impose a blanket restriction on guest questioners in light of a high volume of such requests from other lawmakers.

The hearing comes as Congress faces an imminent deadline to reach a funding agreement on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.