Rep. Rick Crawford urges Congress to fund DHS after reported death of Iran’s supreme leader

Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, urged Congress to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security during an interview after reports that Iran’s supreme leader had been killed.

Crawford said the regime likely had a succession plan in place and that U.S. officials will be assessing next steps, but he warned Washington should focus on homeland posture now. "One of those legs is gone," he said, using a "three‑legged stool" metaphor that listed nuclear proliferation and the production and deployment of short-, intermediate- and long-range ballistic missiles as the other strategic concerns.

A reporter who spoke with Crawford cited a recently issued FBI alert, name-checked Kash Patel, and said the New York governor had warned of heightened awareness; the reporter asked what the overall threat to the homeland might be. Crawford responded that the country must be "adequately postured" from counterintelligence and homeland security perspectives and added, "This is certainly not the time to play games with Department of Homeland Security funding." He said he had not been briefed on specific next steps and called for swift congressional action on funding when lawmakers return.

The exchange also touched on partisan reactions: the moderator noted he had seen only Sen. John Fetterman publicly support the president’s actions and asked whether other Democrats would set aside criticism and back increased DHS funding. Crawford praised Fetterman as one of the few Democrats to take a pragmatic view and repeated his call that lawmakers "secure the homeland" and provide the department the resources it needs.

The interview closed after Crawford reiterated that securing homeland capabilities should rise above partisan politics; he offered no specific legislative text or timetable and said the details of any operational response overseas were matters for official briefings.