WASHINGTON — Representative Robert Aderholt (R-AL4) urged Senate Democrats to fund the Department of Homeland Security in a press conference hosted by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) Thursday.

“The only thing standing in the way of this bill is the Senate Democrats who will not allow the bill to go forward,” Aderholt said.

Senate Democrats have blocked the House-passed bill funding DHS, but not President Obama’s executive amnesty program, for the last two weeks, not even allowing to be debated.

“Is this a new way that the Senate is going to operate?” Rep. Aderholt asked. “If there’s any bill that comes before the United States Senate that is passed by the United States House of Representatives that they don’t like, they simply do not allow the bill to come to the floor of the United States Senate. That is not the way a democracy works.”

Earlier in the press conference, Sen. Cruz advised that the Senate GOP should not “go nuclear” to force a vote, calling on Senate Dems to back down, instead.

“The answer is not to change Senate rules. The answer is for Senate Democrats not to be obstructionists,” Sen. Cruz said.

Sens. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), as well as Reps. Bill Flores (R-Texas), John Carter (R-Texas) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) attended the press conference as well.

With the February 27th deadline quickly approaching, Congress will have less than a week to avert a shutdown of DHS after returning from a week-long recess for Presidents Day.