VINCE Podcast – Episode 225 Summary
Title: Dems Hold Senate Hostage Over ICE Funding | February 13, 2026
Host: Vince Coglianese | Cumulus Podcast Network
Main Theme:
This episode delves into the recent high-stakes political developments surrounding immigration enforcement in Minnesota, the battle over ICE funding in the Senate, major regulatory rollbacks by the Trump administration, and the ongoing fight for election integrity via the SAVE Act. Vince delivers sharp conservative analysis on these events, weaving in exclusive insider details and fiery commentary.

Major Topics & Segments

1. Minnesota Immigration Surge and Tom Homan’s Mission

Timestamps: 04:30 – 21:00

• Context:
  Minnesota faced vast fraud and violent unrest linked to Somali nationals; an ICE surge—directed by Trump administration and led by Tom Homan—was deployed to restore law and order.

• Actions Taken:

  • Nearly 100 fraud convictions, almost all among Somali perpetrators.
  • Trump demanded unprecedented cooperation from state and local officials, threatening to keep ICE in Minnesota until compliance improved.
  • Tom Homan led the operation, credited with de-escalating violence and catalyzing cooperation.
  • Attacks on ICE officers, left-wing insurgency, and eventual surge drawdown announcement.

• Notable Quote – Tom Homan:
  “We all agree that the lawlessness and chaos and disruption that is occurring on the street needs to end. I want to thank Governor Walz...Mayor Fry...for directing the police to take those roadblocks down...We've seen a big change here in the last couple weeks, and it's all good changes.” (09:59)

• Key Data:

  • Over 3,300 missing unaccompanied alien children located and rescued during operation.
  • ICE now pre-positions agents at jails to immediately detain criminal aliens upon release.

• Vince’s Commentary:

  • Strong praise for Homan as a “real border czar” versus “fake border czar Kamala Harris.”
  • Harsh criticism for state officials and federal collusion:
    “You’ve got these idiot Democrats running that state into the ground...You’ve got to cooperate.” (10:49)
  • Outrage over lost children:
    “The left used your tax dollars and separated children from their families, imported them into the United States, where they went on to be used as slave labor...sex slaves...just the cruelest possible imaginable treatment of children.” (12:53)

2. State Officials Under Fire and Senate Hearings

Timestamps: 21:00 – 28:30

• Keith Ellison (Minnesota Attorney General) Under Criminal Investigation:

  • Chastised in Senate hearings for alleged complicity in fraud and links to criminal groups.
  • Accused of taking campaign contributions to influence legal outcomes for Somali fraudsters.

• Senate Showdowns:

  • Sen. Josh Hawley:
    “I should call you a prisoner because you ought to be in jail.” (24:46)
  • Sen. Ron Johnson:
    “You ought to feel damn guilty about it.” (27:17)—accusing Ellison of inciting violence that led to deaths.

• Vince’s Take:

  • Calls for prosecution of high-ranking Minnesota officials, including Ellison, for their role in unrest and fraud.
  • Decries the “deformation of our justice system” due to political interference.

3. The SAVE America Act and Senate Dynamics

Timestamps: 34:00 – 46:35

• Goal:

  • To mandate citizenship proof when registering to vote and require voter ID at the polls—“Only Americans should vote.”

• Current Status:

  • House passed the act; moving through the Senate but stalled by lack of a full GOP quorum and Democratic obstruction.
  • 49 Republican senators confirmed as co-sponsors; urgently seeking 50 for passage with tiebreak by VP JD Vance.

• Holdout Senators Identified:

  • Lisa Murkowski (no), Mitch McConnell, Thom Tillis, Susan Collins (leaning yes, “this is a work in progress” 42:20).

• Notable Quotes – On Legislative Rules:
  “All you need is for everybody to show up...as long as you can outlast a speaking filibuster by Democrats. It would require no rule changes.” (37:15)

  • Encouragement to Maine listeners to call Susan Collins and push her to a yes vote.

• John Fetterman’s Interjection:
  Surprisingly, Fetterman rebukes Democratic colleagues:
  “ICE already has $75 billion in funding from the big, beautiful bill...” Shutting DHS “is the wrong way.” (46:11)

4. Democrats’ ICE Funding Impasse & Partial DHS Shutdown

Timestamps: 46:30 – 48:00

• Development:
  • Senate failed to fund DHS—a partial shutdown threatens FEMA, Coast Guard, CISA, but not ICE.
  • Vince mocks Democratic tactics as “incoherent,” noting their move would hurt departments they favor while ICE remains funded.

5. Trump Administration Regulatory Rollback: Ending the “Endangerment Finding”

Timestamps: 48:00 – 60:20

• Announcement:

  • Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin rescind the Obama-era EPA “endangerment finding,” which classified carbon dioxide as a pollutant, leading to costly vehicle regulations.

• Direct Implications:

  • No more federal push for electric vehicles or forced abandonment of internal combustion engines.
  • Removal of “auto stop-start” mandates in new vehicles.
  • Estimated $2,400 saved per new vehicle purchase, $1.3 trillion saved overall.
  • Supported by recent Supreme Court rulings (Loper Bright, West Virginia v. EPA) enforcing the “major questions” doctrine.

• Notable Quote – President Trump:
  “We are officially terminating the so-called endangerment finding...This action will eliminate over $1.3 trillion of regulatory cost and help bring car prices tumbling down dramatically.” (48:10)

• Notable Quote – Lee Zeldin:
  “...no more climate participation trophies...making Americans cars die at every red light and stop sign. It’s over, done, finished.” (52:36)

• Obama’s (Digital) Meltdown:

  • Obama called the move “disastrous,” but Vince counters, citing declining US emissions due to fracking, not regulation.

• Vince’s Commentary:

  • Frames the original regulations as “a ripoff...a giant scam” harming Americans without meaningful climate benefit.
  • Praises Supreme Court for reining in executive overreach:
    “What had happened was the federal government had started assuming unto itself the power to create laws on its own.”

• Final Response – President Trump to Reporter:
  “I tell them don’t worry about it because it has nothing to do with public health. This was all a scam, a giant scam...They’ll have more money to spend for healthcare.” (58:34)

Notable Moments & Quotes

• Tom Homan on Minnesota ICE Surge Drawdown:
  “Unprecedented levels of coordination...I have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude.” (11:31)

• Vince on State Officials:
  “I mean government officials at the highest levels and God willing, the Justice Department can see this through...” (17:12)

• Josh Hawley to Keith Ellison:
  “I should call you a prisoner because you ought to be in jail.” (24:46)

• Ron Johnson to Ellison:
  “You encouraged it. And you ought to feel damn guilty about it.” (27:17)

• John Fetterman Dissenting His Own Party:
  “ICE already has $75 billion in funding...shutting the government down is the wrong way.” (46:11)

• Lee Zeldin on Removing Auto Stop-Start:
  “There will be no more climate participation trophies awarded to manufacturers for making Americans cars die at every red light and stop sign...” (52:36)

• Trump on Regulatory Rollback:
  “...the single largest deregulatory action in American history...You’re going to get a better car...for a lot less money.” (48:10)

Summary Table of Important Segments & Timestamps

| Topic | Timestamp | Speaker(s) | Key Content | |-----------------------------------------|:---------:|-----------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------| | Tom Homan on ICE Surge Results | 09:59 | Tom Homan | Local cooperation, violence subsides, thanks to officials | | Child Rescues in Minnesota | 12:32 | Tom Homan | Over 3,364 missing children located and rescued | | Senate Hearings on MN Fraud | 24:04 | Hawley/Ellison | Calls for prosecution; heated exchanges, Ellison under fire | | Ron Johnson confronts Ellison | 27:17 | Ron Johnson | Accusation of inciting violence | | SAVE Act Senate Efforts | 38:00+ | Vince | Progress, holdouts, strategy info | | Susan Collins on SAVE Act | 42:20 | Susan Collins | “This is a work in progress” – possibly tipping to yes | | John Fetterman on DHS Funding | 46:11 | John Fetterman | “Shutting the government down is the wrong way” | | Trump & Zeldin on Endangerment Finding | 48:10 | Trump/Zeldin | Major deregulatory announcement, $2,400 vehicle savings | | Lee Zeldin on Stop-Start | 52:36 | Lee Zeldin | “No more...making Americans’ cars die at every red light...” | | Trump on Health & Scam Regulations | 58:34 | Trump | “Tell them don’t worry about it, it’s all a scam, a giant scam.” |

Conclusion

Vince’s Friday show hits a wide sweep of consequential developments:

• Praising the forceful return of law enforcement to Minnesota and the operational success of Tom Homan and ICE.
• Demanding accountability for Democratic state officials implicated in fraud, violence, and obstruction.
• Urging listeners to press remaining Republican Senators for the SAVE Act.
• Applauding the Trump administration’s reversal of burdensome, “scam” Obama-era EPA regulations, promising meaningful financial relief for American consumers.
• Throughout, Vince’s tone is urgent, assertive, and deeply skeptical of Democratic maneuvering—sustaining his signature blend of “real news, sharp analysis, and non-stop entertainment.”

Listener Takeaway:
Anyone who missed this episode will come away well-informed on immigration enforcement battles, election security legislative drama, regulatory confrontations in Washington, and the rhetoric driving today’s most heated political exchanges.

For deep-dives into any individual segment, use the timestamps above to locate full transcripts or quoted exchanges.