All articles tagged with #dhs shutdown
President Trump declared a national emergency to pay TSA workers amid the ongoing DHS shutdown and dispatched ICE officers to major airports to help with security and crowd control. Early media reports say wait times improved as back pay began flowing, signaling short-term relief, but Democratic opposition to funding remains and calls grow to end the shutdown and restore pay for all DHS workers.
Trump directed that TSA agents be paid during the Homeland Security shutdown, with back pay covered by funds linked to last year’s reconciliation package. The move temporarily eases long security lines, but its legality is unclear and it doesn’t fix the underlying funding problem, which will require Congress to provide continuing DHS funding (risking another lapse).
With Congress on a two-week break, the DHS shutdown extends to 45 days—the longest in history—after House Republicans rejected a Senate funding plan that funded most of DHS but left ICE unfunded. TSA back pay has begun following Trump’s directive, though more than 500 TSA agents have quit amid the stalemate. A House 60-day funding bill mirrors the Senate package for DHS minus ICE, and with Democrats demanding the Senate-passed terms, there’s no return date set for Congress before mid-April, leaving DHS shuttered and prompting pressure to end the recess and reach a funding agreement.
The Department of Homeland Security entered the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history as Congress remains deadlocked on funding, with TSA workers missing pay and airports facing longer security lines; Trump ordered DHS to pay TSA via a memo, but funding for ICE and other programs remains unresolved, and House rejection of a Senate funding bill signals a prolonged stalemate.
POLITICO reports that Trump’s promised “golden age” of travel hasn’t arrived, as long TSA lines, air-traffic-control staffing shortages, and equipment failures collide with a deadly LaGuardia crash, highlighting a strained aviation system amid a DHS funding showdown and bipartisan finger-pointing, even as officials tout long‑term modernization efforts.
A funding stalemate at the Department of Homeland Security has left TSA officers unpaid and increasingly unavailable, triggering hours-long security lines at major U.S. airports, missed flights, and costly rebookings for travelers. ICE has been deployed to assist at airports amid criticism of immigration policies, with broader fears spanning fuel prices and economic pressures shaping travel decisions.
Live updates show Sen. Mark Warner declining to endorse Chuck Schumer for Senate majority leader, warning leadership chatter could ease if Democrats win in 2026; the feed also notes a TSA staffing crisis amid a DHS shutdown with hundreds of screeners quitting and pay losses, ongoing fights over DHS funding and potential recess, a bipartisan PREDICT Act to bar members from trading on prediction markets, and Trump’s Capitol Hill appearance shaping housing and energy policy debates.
Sen. Lindsey Graham says Republicans are expeditiously moving to unlock a second budget reconciliation bill to fund defense and homeland security, potentially adding SAVE America Act provisions to win support. Yet GOP doubts about passing another party-line measure persist as Democrats push back and the plan hinges on a budget resolution that designates drafting committees and fiscal targets. The live updates also note DHS shutdown-driven TSA staffing shortages and broader Capitol Hill maneuvering over DHS funding, highlighting the fragility and high-stakes politics behind the funding fight.
ICE agents are being deployed to U.S. airports to support TSA amid a DHS funding shutdown, but security wait times remain lengthy at major hubs; lawmakers are negotiating a bipartisan deal to reopen DHS by funding all agencies except ICE enforcement, fueling optimism that the shutdown could end this week.
Delta Air Lines has temporarily halted its airport escorts and red-coat concierge services for members of Congress and their staff due to the ongoing DHS shutdown, following CEO Ed Bastian’s criticism of lawmakers for not funding TSA pay; security lines have grown as TSA staffing shortages persist, and other carriers have not announced similar changes.
Houston’s Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports faced unusually long security lines as TSA callouts surged during the DHS shutdown, with IAH at 42.4% and HOU at 47.4% absenteeism on March 21—the highest in the nation; nationwide rates remained above 9% over the past week. Airports implemented operational changes (limited TSA PreCheck by terminal, reduced screening lanes, Terminal D at Bush closed, and no CLEAR service on Monday), and travelers were urged to arrive early as delays persist during spring break while federal officials deploy ICE agents to assist.
Amid a DHS funding stalemate and long security lines, Trump says ICE agents will be deployed to airports to relieve TSA by covering entry/exit points so TSA screeners can focus on passenger checks; they won't screen passengers themselves, with details due before Monday. TSA unions criticize the move as replacing paid staff with untrained agents, as more than 400 TSA workers have quit or gone absent during the shutdown.
President Trump said ICE may be deployed to help run airport security starting Monday if Democrats don’t fund the DHS, intensifying the shutdown-era clash as TSA wait times grow. Democrats seek oversight reforms and warrants for federal officers; details on how ICE would operate at airports were not provided, and talks between parties continued.
Trump said ICE agents would be deployed to U.S. airports Monday amid a Senate stalemate over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, leaving TSA workers unpaid during the partial shutdown while ICE remains funded by a separate package.
With DHS funding stalled, Trump warns he will deploy ICE agents to airports to perform security duties, escalating tensions as TSA workers go unpaid and absences rise; Democrats seek reforms while Republicans resist; the plan raises concerns about militarizing civilian spaces and questions about ICE’s qualifications for airport screening.