Overview
- During a Senate Budget Committee hearing, Sen. Bernie Moreno pressed Brendan Duke on whether unlawful entry should be a crime, and Duke replied he did not know the law and was there to discuss budgets.
- Moreno cited the 1952 Immigration and Naturalization Act and contrasted Duke’s reluctance to answer with Duke’s agreement that entering a private home without permission should be a crime.
- The exchange drew objections from Sen. Jeff Merkley over what he called badgering, and Chair Lindsey Graham intervened before the hearing moved on.
- Duke, identified as a former Biden White House senior policy adviser now leading federal budget policy at the Center for American Progress, became the focus of conservative criticism after clips circulated on X.
- Posts from GOP figures and groups amplified the moment, and while media sought comment from Duke, no further clarification or policy shift has been reported.