Iran Conflict, DHS Shutdown Raises Fears Of Threats Inside The US

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I'm Dana Perino and this is the Fox News rundown.

My name is March 9th, 2026, I'm like a manual.

There are concerns about the possibility of danger here at home with the US and Israel

taking military action against the Iranian regime.

And growing calls from leading Republicans for Democrats to get serious about funding

the Department of Homeland Security at a critical time.

We're going to look like a third world country.

We are supposed to America and we're not looking like it right now.

And it's because the lack of leadership on the Democratic side.

At least subradi nearly halfway through tax season, refunds are rising with tax cuts

kicking in.

You know, the reason has to working families tax cut act is because it's giving it right

back to working families.

And I'm Tommy Laren, I've got the final word on the Fox News rundown.

The US and Israeli military operation against the Iranian regime is entering its second

week with President Trump as commander in chief seeking a decisive victory.

And we're not looking to sell, they'd like to sell, we're not looking to sell.

Since Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, there are concerns

about Iranian proxies or sleeper cells attacking here in the US.

Hasen Telledins chairman Rick Crawford says Democrats must vote to fund the Department

of Homeland Security to protect the American people.

We know that that threat is there.

We know it's persistent.

And what that means here at home is number one, we have to fund DHS.

We've got to get these Democrats to quit playing politics with Homeland Security because

there are threats out there and they have demonstrated a willingness to exercise on those

threats.

There's also been a shake up at the top of the Department of Homeland Security with President

Trump nominating Oklahoma Center Mark Wayne Mullen to replace outgoing secretary, Kristi

Nome, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries criticizing Nome.

Kristi Nome has been fired, consistent with what we have demanded.

On behalf of the American people, a change in personnel is not sufficient.

We need a change in policy.

Nome is being reassigned as special envoy and was introduced in that role during this weekend's

shield of the America summit in Florida.

I do want to thank the President for creating this and for giving me the honor and the opportunity

to serve as a special envoy to this region to the Western Hemisphere.

Soon it will be time for the Senate to take up confirmation for one of its own, Mark Wayne

Mullen to lead Homeland Security.

I thank the Secretary for her service.

House Homeland Security Chairman Andrew Garberino, we spoke with him on Sunday morning.

It's a very large department to run and I'm very excited to be working with Senator

Mullen.

I served with Mark Wayne in the House.

We just worked together quite closely on the one big beautiful bill to make sure that

got passed.

And now I think he's going to do a great job over there at Homeland.

He has a lot of great relationships with people on the hill.

Both sides of the aisle, he's a very serious legislator and I know he's very close with

the President and this is a great recipe I think here.

So I think we're going to, I think things are going to be very successful moving forward.

He recently wrote that the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security is happening

at a time of heightened threats.

What specific risk does a DHS shutdown create for the country right now?

I mean, with the shutdown, not everybody is at work.

On top of that, you have people who are at work but are not getting paid, which, you

know, that kills morale, that kills, you know, whether people are paying attention

or whether they are, you know, focused 100 percent, you know, or, you know, just like

a amount of a TSA officer, they make $45,000 a year on average.

They're not going to be paid.

They've already, they've already missed a half of a paycheck.

And then for there's, I think CISA, the cyber security information security agency, two

thirds of its employees are out of furloughed right now at a time where we are facing cyber

attacks from Iran, from Russia, from China, daily, millions of attacks a day, people

in these, in these countries are attacking us.

And now two thirds of our cyber security employees are furloughed.

I could go down the list of why we should not be shut down right now, why we are less

safe because we are shut down.

There was some thought that Democrats were kind of holding on to this issue, trying to

know basically embarrass the president going into his state of the union address.

Some people were telling me they thought there would be a bipartisan deal after the state

of the union.

Here we are.

It's lingering.

What do you think it'll take to get a deal to reopen the Department of Homeland Security?

The crazy thing is, is that the Democrats are saying, well, you know, we'll fund everything

else.

You know, they're saying, pay us our bill, they're funds, everything else but ICE and

CBP.

Granted, you know, CBP and ICE do have a lot of money from the one big beautiful bill.

But they're saying, let's just, let's pass this bill instead, which actually goes against

what they're fighting for.

This negotiated bill at the House has already passed twice, has money for body cameras.

It has extra money for the Office of Inspector General THS to to investigate.

It has extra money for training of both ICE and CBP.

So all of these bipartisan wins that were already negotiated to help address the two shootings,

as well as the other issues that have occurred with ICE and CBP, those wouldn't even pass.

So they're actually, the thing they're proposing does less for them in the things that they

want that if they actually pass the bill that is sitting at the center right now.

The White House, Tom Homan, the Department, all seem willing to work.

The problem is, as I said the other day, Chuck Schumer, Keem Jeffries are playing politics.

They keep moving the goal post and by doing this, they're making us less safe.

And I guarantee you something is going to happen and they're going to be the ones that should

shoulder the blame.

Speaking of that, you're a New Yorker, C&O Schumer and Jeffries.

Are they looking over their shoulders at Alexandria, Ocasio Cortez and other New Yorker and

members of the far left wing of their party?

You know what leadership does?

Leadership should be able to manage all the factions of their parties.

Speaker Mike Johnson does a great job managing and working with the Freedom Caucus, as well

as the moderates, the people that are in the district said, Harris won.

I mean, he does a great job.

I don't understand why Jeffries and Schumer can't do the same.

Why are they only afraid of one side?

This is what leadership does.

Leadership manages the different opinions that you have in your conference.

And what they're showing is they're only listening to one side.

That is a lack of leadership.

And that lack of leadership is going to make us less safe.

It's probably going to cost us American lives.

So they need to grow up, tell the progressive wing of their party, grow up.

This is serious business.

We got to put on our big boy pants.

And we got to make sure America is protected.

And that's through funding the Department of Homeland Security.

I mean, we are about to hold host the FIFA World Cup in less than 100 days.

And we can't even get these cities the money that we promise them for security.

These cities, as we heard in my committee hearing, are going to have to start canceling events.

We don't look like America.

If we have to, if we look like we can't host the World Cup, I mean, we're going to look like a third world country.

We are supposed to be America.

And we're now looking like it right now.

And it's because of lack of leadership on the Democratic side.

So let's dig into that a bit.

You've got the FIFA World Cup coming to cities across North America.

Many of them here in the United States of America.

You've got teams from all over the globe, fans from all over the globe coming here.

And here we are fewer than 100 days out from the FIFA World Cup.

And the Department of Homeland Security has shut down,

cutting critical preparation time, right?

Yeah, critical preparation time, work with the local police departments that are in control.

Not only CBP, Border Patrol does all this work with global entry at the airports,

you know, to making sure that they're keeping track of the people that come in,

all the processing of non-citizens that are coming in, people on these is like,

these are, there's so many different things that the department does,

both with information sharing, actual training, like the counter drone, counter UIS training

that's supposed to be going on for the local police right now.

Preparation of, like I said, with non-citizens coming in,

people coming from all over these countries to watch their teams,

you know, making sure that the bad guys don't get in.

This is making us less safe.

Every day this goes on, it makes us less safe.

Let's talk national security in terms of the conflict trying to remove the regime in Tehran.

There's been a great escalation in recent days.

From your perspective, what's the U.S. strategic objective be right now?

So right now is what we've sort of been doing for the last, you know, 20, 30 years,

is stop them from attacking us daily,

stop them from supporting terrorism,

of course, the world, stop them from specifically targeting United States citizens.

That is happening now.

You know, what happens next?

What happens if the regime falls and who is pecked hopefully?

Somebody will take over Iran that can be an ally of us,

but as well as the people in that region.

I mean, Iran has tacked all of its major neighbors in the last two weeks.

They've sent missiles.

I had constituents who were in Abu Dhabi,

who were in a hotel hearing missile fire above them.

This is wild to me.

This just shows that the current regime,

just more evidence that the current leaders in Iran should not be in charge

and that whoever takes over, hopefully we can help an assistant, whoever that is,

brings Iran forward, takes them out of this state-sponsored terrorism list

and they can work together in that region to bring peace in other areas as well.

I don't need to tell you there's a debate about whether U.S. Boots on the ground will be needed.

The commander in chief hasn't ruled it out and that's understandable

because he doesn't want to tie his own hands

where the hands of his commanders,

but do you see a need for American Boots on the ground?

Right now, I have not been shown the evidence or the intelligence

or the plans of what the commanders have next.

And I wouldn't expect to see that yet.

I do believe that the president and his team understand

that we would probably need congressional authority if Boots on the ground were required.

And when there's a need, if there's a need for further escalation in the region,

I believe we will get another briefing.

So all members of Congress can make that educated decision.

We've seen how relatively inexpensive drones are being used in the conflict by the Iranian side.

Are we prepared to deal with the threat of drones here domestically?

Well, just this year, we do have a lot of great technology to counter these drones.

We just passed some legislation this year to help us train local police

so they could protect football games, they could protect the FIFA World Cup.

The first class of those officers are down in Huntsville right now being trained.

That's for the New York City, Kansas City, Boston, all those areas that are hosting the World Cup games.

But again, this shutdown is affecting that.

The shutdown is affecting the half a billion dollars that we put into counter drone technology

because the money can't get out the door.

So we should be prepared for it.

But because of this shutdown, we can't get the money out the door.

Half the people aren't at work.

And therefore, no, we are not prepared.

Congressman, I know an NYPD police officer died while deployed to Kuwait

in support of Operation Epic Fury.

As a New York congressman, that hits close to home.

What's your reaction, sir?

I'm just so sorry for the loss to his family.

These, you know, as a NYPD officer, he puts his life on the line every day

to protect New Yorkers.

They have a very difficult job, especially with some of the things that the mayor

and the governor are doing in the city.

But I feel so sorry for his family for their loss.

Again, he did this as an NYPD officer.

Now, he finally paid the ultimate sacrifice as the, as a soldier.

And all the soldiers that have lost their life in this, in this conflict,

I just, I pray for them and I pray for their families.

It's something we never want to happen.

And it's just something that I've never had to experience.

And I, I don't know how, how they, how they can do it.

But anyway, we can help.

We have to help them because it's just, it's the ultimate sacrifice.

And then we, we have another person to, to honor this memorial day.

Chairman Andrew Garberino of the great state of New York.

Grateful for your time, sir.

Have a wonderful week.

You too. Thank you.

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This is Tommy Lairn with your Fox News Commentary coming up.

What had been a campaign rally cry.

We will pass massive tax cuts for workers.

And that includes no tax on tips is now in effect.

Passed as part of what Republicans call working family's tax cuts,

which Democrats still argue benefit the wrong people.

Republicans own data now show that the gains for average Americans are much

smaller than promised and are skewed once again to the wealthy.

Massachusetts congressman Richard Neal during a house hearing with the IRS CEO

who disputes that and says more than four and 10 of the tax returns filed so far.

43% have claimed at least one of the new Trump tax benefits,

which include deductions for tips interest on loans for U.S. made cars and for seniors.

The tax break on overtime, a deduction capped at more than $12,000 for individuals

is the one used the most so far.

The reason it's working families tax collect is because it's giving it right back to working families.

Frank Bizignano is the first CEO of the IRS,

also serving as Commissioner of the Social Security Administration.

I think at 43% that should be a large indicator of more people having a greater tax benefit

than a year before. There was a whole bunch of things put in that also allowed permanency.

From everything from small business pass through to a child tax-free credit

and double standard deduction.

So what you have going on is permanency on things that weren't permanence.

You have the benefit of the working family tax FedEx.

And then you have going into this year that people are going to have lower deductions.

So they're getting more money in their pocket now,

calling an average of $3,800 that's a fundamentally 10% plus or minus from where we were.

And the fact that people are going to have more money from their paychecks.

So I think it's been powerful.

I think we're 40% through.

So it's no longer a good start.

We're almost halfway through the season.

Democrats have always argued that the president's tax cuts benefit the wealthy

more than others. What do the numbers show?

Well, I think, you know, if you think about all these things,

have caps at some level and you say 43% of the people filing or getting it,

that would be one set of stats.

Another set of stats, we wait until the other day is the

largest benefits are going to under 100 days.

And if you look at the totality of what's going to happen,

hiring come people are going to pay a larger percentage this year's tax bill,

then those 100 can under.

So it's just numbers. It's fact-based.

Right. And when you say 100K, you mean, you mean,

filers earning under 100,000?

Yes, yes, ma'am.

The IRS has shed thousands of workers in the second Trump term so far, though.

And I'm wondering, is that having any impact on tax season or on the ability to go after fraud,

which is a prominent theme for the administration right now?

We've always talked about fraud, waste, and abuse.

The way I like to think about it is the reduction in hate count

was all voluntary retirements.

And so we never had a piece of paper that told us 100,000 people or the right number of people

to run the IRS. So we've evaluated, we've reallocated staff.

But when you think about tax season, you know, what we're seeing is

single-digit wait times on the phones.

The power-fighting is what we've done through technology and the tech crowd has really

delivered superbly well. We're having 40 million more online user inquiries than we did

the year before. And we're having last phone calls. And that is the way, you know, we always say,

we want to meet clients where they want to be met. We have tax payer assistance centers.

We have a digital presence that you hear how well it's being used. And then we have technology

on the phones. And we have thousands of people prepare to answer the phones. But all that got

done. And I think if you look at across the board and one of the places to look at is

possible criminal investigation units, we had more collections last year. I think collections are

strong. You know, we made this about technology. These are really financial services orgs that

are driven by investment in technologies. I call it a transformation to a digital first agency

that allows us to have a platform to be able to scale up and actually create a better set of

tools for our workforce. Yeah, modernization, I know is something that you're kind of put in place

to focus on being the first CEO of the IRS, which is separate from the commissioners role, right?

It's not easy being the first at anything. You know, I have to talk more about transformation

and modernization. The programs under transformation will be newer technology and different uses

of technology and, you know, our ability to use AI to make us that much better. And to me, AI

is just the technology. I have the honor to be commissioners of social security. And the

similarities of service in the American public and financial services throw a lot of what I learned

in coming into that job and we made tremendous progress on that as a digital first agency with

over a hundred million digital clients. But the real point thing is, you know, making

easier for the American people to be able to interact with us. And that's true at both SSA and

IRS. Well, social security solvency is, of course, something that a lot of Americans are always

concerned about. What would you say to reassure people about that at this point? I think

multiple things. I'd say first and foremost, the president had continued to make it very clear

that our job is to protect and preserve it. And he said it in the city, union, and he said it.

And we went by that mantra. And the first thing we could do to protect and preserve is for,

you know, a root out fraud waste and abuse because those are all, those are all in the trust fund.

Those dollars, you know, we come out of it. So I think we're maniacal about that. We've

seen billions and billions. I also say the second thing is, building a better way to operate

so the American public can have more confidence. And that's what we see right now. We see it as

results across the board that they're feeling our investments in making a digital versus good.

And then ultimately, you know, this will be a congressional decision, but the

residents within 100% committed to protect and preserve. And we're 100% committed to continue

dealing and stopping fraud waste and abuse and all that comes together in a really good outcome for

Americans. I know you've also been kind of leading the charge to make people more aware of how to

avoid scams. What are some of the ways that they can do that? If you think about the government,

we're never going to call up at IRS or Social Security someone and say, you have to send us money

now or some form of services going to be retained. And the way the scammer's operate is they want

to panic you. You're not going to get a phone call. You're not going to get a letter that says

immediately send us money. We're not going to threaten you ever of taking your Social Security

number away or your inability to use it. And the first thing people have to do is hang up

and report it. Right. And the inspector general and ourselves are quite committed to this.

We know the scamsters are out there. We know they go after vulnerable populations. We know they like

to scare people and doing something immediately. It will never be what occurs here. And if you look

at IRS, we built a refund, an online ability to come in and understand where your refund is

and when you're going to get it. The ability for people to see where their refund is going.

You know, the zero paper initiative was really another fraud buster. We don't want to be sent

and checks the people because they get stolen from mailboxes. And of course, we're never going

to stop somebody who can only accept a check but continuing to drive the digital transformation

is another opportunity for people, not to have people in their mailboxes.

I just wanted to give you a chance to touch on one other concern that was raised at a house hearing.

You got some questions about past disclosures of taxpayer data to immigration and customs

enforcement. I know it's a subject of ongoing litigation and it's before your time at the agency.

But you know, what do you say to people concerned about privacy issues?

You know, I like to say I've been blessed in the opportunities I've been given and I've had the

opportunities to oversee the largest financial institutions and then also oversee technology

companies that serve the largest financial institutions. And personal information has always

been the number one priority. Ensuring that it is secure, ensuring that it does not have access

to it. And you know, we run a large risk governance process around cyber and around data security

and it's a top priority. In both organizations, I elevated the job of risk management to report

directly to myself and also brought in to report directly to myself the security and resiliency

officer for these purposes. We cannot be vigilant enough and we must route out all bad actors.

IRS CEO and SSA Commissioner Frank Bizignano. Thank you very much for your time.

Thanks for having me. I'm grateful.

Here's a look at the week ahead. Monday, the fighting Irish bid goodbye to a legend.

Lou Holtz, the college football hall of fame coach who led Notre Dame to a national championship,

will be laid to rest. Tuesday, residents of Georgia's 14th congressional district will be heading to

the polls in a special election to replace the seat left-faked by Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Also, Fox News Sunday anchor and New York Times bestselling author Shannon Breene

releases her new faith-based book. Nothing is impossible with God. 11 heroes, one God, endless

lessons in overcoming from Fox News books. Thursday, the entertainment industry descends on Austin,

Texas for South by Southwest. This year's highlights include a conversation with Steven Spielberg

about his upcoming film and musicians John Fogarty and Tom Morello in a joint conversation about

their creative inspirations. Friday, law enforcement across Nevada will be beginning a days-long

crackdown on speeding. It runs through March 29th and that's a look at your week ahead. I'm Anna

Eliopoulos, Fox News.

From the Fox News Podcasts Network, subscribe and listen to the Tray Gaudi podcast.

Former federal prosecutor and four-term U.S. Congressman from South Carolina brings you a

one-of-a-kind podcast. Subscribe and listen now by going to FoxNewsPodcasts.com.

It's time for your Fox News commentary. Tommy Laren. What's on your mind?

While I'm happy for the Iranian people who have suffered at the hands of this brutal regime,

and while I'm hopeful that they too will one day live in a country blessed with freedom and

self-determination, my consideration first and mostly is for the American people, our interests

are blood and our treasure. And I'm not going to lie, being on the same side as Lindsey Graham and

Nikki Haley doesn't exactly, you know, thrill me. And I like many of you. I'm not interested in

rebuilding Iran for the sake of Iran, but the thing that restrains my concerns and skepticism here

is the firmly held belief that President Trump, Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary Marco Rubio

feel that same way that whatever they've got planned for Iran and what's next will be in the

interest of the American people first and perhaps even only. And if there is one president I trust

for this moment, it is Donald J. Trump because he was built and perhaps even spared for a moment

in a time such as this. I'm Tommy Laren and you can watch my show Tommy Laren is fearless at outkick.com.

Go to FoxNews.com.

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