Travelers making their way through the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas , on Wednesday morning told Fox News they waited in TSA lines for hours amid staffing shortages spurred by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown.
Kenneth Haney, a recently retired United Airlines pilot, said he arrived six hours early for his flight to Raleigh, North Carolina.
"I just retired a year and a half ago and I've never seen it like this before, even as a pilot," Haney said. "Our politicians: Get yourself together and do the work of the people that we put you in office to do, and stop bickering and come together for the American people and help us alleviate these unnecessary long lines."
Haney said he is hoping lawmakers come to a bipartisan solution, noting he "feels for the TSA agents."
"They've been working and not getting paid," he said. "They have families like everybody else. They have bills to pay and nobody wants to work free. That's not what the economy is built on."
Priscilla Craft, who was traveling to Dulles International Airport in Virginia, also arrived six hours before her flight and said she would like to see Congress "compromise and get this done."
"I think people are frustrated, and they're ready for politicians on the Hill to get this resolved," Craft said. "And there's no reason they shouldn't."
Those traveling on international flights, like Hammed Junior — who was flying to Paris, France, on Wednesday, said they rearranged their flights to allow for extra time to get through security.
"Initially, I had a 6 a.m. flight, which was a connected flight," Junior said. "I changed the flight to 12:30, because I could not wake up at midnight and come to the airport."
Junior added he thought "at some point, people are really going to crash out," explaining domestic flights might not be worth the hassle.
"This is really frustrating," he said. "Not everybody could do it. I'm only doing it because I'm flying international. If it was local, I don't think I would have done it."
Fox News' Chelsea Torres contributed to this report.
A senior House Republican told Fox News on Wednesday it will take "a couple more shootings or the [TSA security] lines to get even longer," to end debate over Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding.
The comments came days after Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old Loyola University Chicago student, was fatally shot in the head while walking with her friends near campus.
A Venezuelan illegal immigrant is charged with murder in connection to Gorman's death.
Other high-profile killings, allegedly carried out by illegal immigrants from Venezuela, include the cases of Laken Riley, 22, who was killed in Georgia in 2024, and Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, who was killed and sexually assaulted in Texas in 2024.
Nearly 500 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers have quit since the beginning of the DHS shutdown, prompting a staffing emergency at major U.S. airports.
The DHS funding lapse has dragged into its 40th day.
Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
Fox News witnessed multiple medical emergencies involving airline passengers waiting in long TSA security lines Wednesday at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, amid the ongoing staffing shortage triggered by the Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
Fox News' Brooke Taylor said one of the incidents involved a young woman, and a subsequent emergency involved a 73-year-old man who allegedly passed out.
At first, the man said he thought he was having a heart attack, according to Taylor.
Responding medics said they believe the fainting spell could have been caused by heat exhaustion, and called an ambulance for additional support.
The wait time in the Houston terminal is currently two hours.
Employees have been passing out water bottles to those waiting in line throughout the day.
{{#rendered}}House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News' Chad Pergram on Wednesday that lawmakers may return home at the end of the week if a deal is not reached regarding Department of Homeland Security funding.
When asked if the speaker planned to send lawmakers home and call them back if a deal is reached, Johnson said "as soon as the Senate acts, we'll be ready to act."
"The House can sit around here and wait upon the Senate, or they can go home and work in their districts and be summoned right back," Johnson said. "As soon as the Senate acts, we'll be ready to act. I have a 72-hour notice to get everybody back. We're greatly frustrated by it, as you know."
Johnson added he plans on speaking to President Donald Trump Wednesday afternoon about a potential agreement reached in the Senate, but the pair have not yet discussed it.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt during a news conference on Wednesday shot back at Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who reportedly reiterated threats to potentially arrest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents that were sent into airports to assist with historically long Transportation Security Administration (TSA) lines.
A reporter claimed Krasner said President Donald Trump would not be able to pardon ICE agents, to which Leavitt responded, "the president cannot pardon you for what?"
"He's talking to the ICE agents who are handing out water bottles and are helping people move through lines at airports," Leavitt said. "It's a disgraceful comment. The men and women of ICE are great people."
She added she would encourage Krasner, "whose name I don't know and don't care to know," to sit down and speak with ICE agents who are on the ground at the nation's largest airports, along with those enforcing immigration directives from the Trump administration.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed Democrats during a news conference on Wednesday, accusing lawmakers of forcing travelers to wait in long airport lines, "robbing TSA officers and other federal workers of their hard earned paychecks," and causing billions of dollars in damage to the U.S. economy.
"For nearly six weeks, Democrats in Congress have kept DHS shut down because they care more about illegal aliens than American citizens," Leavitt said. "You have Democrat-elected representatives in states across the country who are willing to inflict massive pain on their own constituents to fight for illegal aliens who broke our nation's laws to come here."
"President [Donald] Trump's position is very clear: He wants the federal government opened," she continued. "He wants the Department of Homeland Security funded, and he wants the Democrat shutdown to end immediately."
Leavitt said nearly 500 TSA officers have quit since the beginning of the DHS shutdown, which has dragged into its 40th day.
"President Trump, to alleviate this pressure, made the decision to send some of our amazing ICE agents to help alleviate that stress and address the long wait times," she said. "For all of the critics of this solution a few days ago, when it was proposed by the president: It is yielding results. Wait times have improved since ICE arrived, and they are doing everything in their power to help their fellow federal service members."
{{#rendered}}Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Wednesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are not welcome in the city’s airports, doubling down on his call to “abolish ICE."
The Democrat's comments came during an event he hosted unveiling the winning name of a Chicago snowplow naming contest: “Abolish ICE.”
"I want to take this moment to reiterate that Chicago does not want ICE on our streets, in our airports, nor in our city," Johnson said. "Chicago believes in abolishing ICE, and through my administration's 'Protecting Chicago' initiative, we continue to respond to threats from the federal government and bring our city together to safeguard the rights and dignity of all of our residents."
The public contest received more than 39,000 votes, with “Abolish ICE” garnering 70%, according to the mayor's office.
"We do not want ICE or our cities occupied by rogue federal agents who are operating outside of the bounds of the Constitution," Johnson continued. "It's an affront to who we are as a nation, and if I have to stand up to this tyrant to give an example for the rest of the world, then that's what I will do."
President Donald Trump on Wednesday praised Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for stepping up to provide security at U.S. airports during the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown.
The president wrote in a Truth Social post he is "so proud of our ICE Patriots," adding they were "unfairly maligned by the Lunatic Democrats for years."
"Now, at the Airports, in addition to what they are supposed to be doing, they are helping people with bags, even picking up and cleaning areas," Trump wrote. "They are so proud to be there!"
The president added ICE agents should not "have to" assist the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at airports, but they are "rehabbing a fake image given to them by Radical Left Democrat politicians."
TSA agents have been working unpaid for the last 40 days due to a DHS funding lapse, as Republicans and Democrats debate ICE funding.
"The Public is loving ICE, so the Democrats, unwittingly, did us a favor — They are Great American Patriots, they just happen to have much larger, and harder, muscles than most — which is what they’re supposed to have," Trump wrote. "Thank you to ICE for the GREAT job you are doing. America very much appreciates it!"
Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., told Fox News' "Faulkner Focus" on Wednesday she filed a resolution to withhold reimbursement for senators' travel amid the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
"I have been fully supportive of making sure that we're putting forward rules to suspend senator pay if we can't push through funding," Moody said. "In fact, my colleagues put that on the floor, and the Democrats literally objected and ran out of the room."
"I also have just filed a resolution to withhold reimbursement for any travel for any senator, as long as we are in a shutdown," she added. "That needs to be moved. That needs to pass."
Moody accused Democrats of not wanting the country to have a secure border and of opposing deportations for illegal immigrants who "shouldn't be here that are endangering American citizens."
"I will tell you, that is what [President Donald] Trump pledged to do. That is what we are here to do to support him," she said. "We want them to do that in a way that sets a very high bar of professionalism and safety and standards, but we cannot just neuter them in their mission to get that done. Too many people have been hurt, too many communities have been affected, and I, for one, am showing up every day, mission-focused, to serve American citizens, this country, its security, and we need to get it done."
{{#rendered}}The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is "falling behind" every day the Department of Homeland Security shutdown persists, CISA acting director Nick Andersen warned during remarks at a congressional hearing on Wednesday.
"Let me be direct. When the government shuts down, our adversaries do not. For the past 39 days, CISA has operated under its third shutdown this fiscal year," he said.
He said that around 60% of the agency's workforce is furloughed or is "otherwise unable to work. The remaining personnel are carrying out mission-essential functions without pay, while facing increasing pressure from nation-state and criminal actors targeting our nation's critical infrastructure. This is not a sustainable model," he asserted.
Today is the 40th day of the DHS funding lapse that is causing a shutdown.
"Every day the shutdown continues, we're not just standing still, we're falling behind," Andersen said.
Democrats blasted President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to airports across the country on Monday as travel centers struggle to maintain a security presence amid a partial government shutdown, which is now nearing the 40-day mark.
"There’s absolutely no reason for him to do that," said Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas. "[Trump] has put a stop to it."
Instead of using ICE to meet security needs at airports, Escobar said that Congress should pass a proposal that separates funding for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) from the gridlock.
Fellow Democrat Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., echoed Escobar’s condemnation of the deployment.
"I think it's a horrible, horrible idea that's just going to cause more problems," Grijalva said.
Like the rest of the agencies that operate under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), funding for TSA ran dry on Feb. 14 over Democrat-led demands to reform ICE, the agency at the heart of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Democrats have conditioned their support for DHS funding on a ban on masks for ICE agents, stiffer warrant requirements for apprehending suspects in public and a ban on roaming patrols, among other changes.
Republicans have rebuffed the demands, arguing they would handcuff Trump's immigration enforcement goals. Republicans need at least seven Democrats to reach the 60-vote threshold to break a filibuster in the Senate, where they hold just 53 seats.
Read the full story here.
Transportation Security Administration official Ha Nguyen McNeill said during remarks at a congressional hearing on Wednesday that the agency has lost more than 480 officers during the Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
"We have already lost over 480 TSOs this shutdown, and our call out rates have accelerated as our workforce was still reeling from the last shutdown," McNeill noted.
TSA officers have been working without pay, so some have simply quit.
"This fiscal year, TSA has been shut down for 50% of the time, or 85 days, and if still shut down this Friday, we will have reached nearly $1 billion dollars in missed paychecks. This level of disruption is unprecedented and unacceptable, and significantly undermines the security of U.S. transportation systems," McNeill said.
{{#rendered}}President Donald Trump blamed Democrats for the slow security lines at airports in the U.S. as Transportation Security Administration agents work without pay amid a Department of Homeland Security shutdown caused by a funding lapse that started last month.
The president, who has already deployed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports, also noted that he may call upon the National Guard to help as well.
"Blame the Democrats for the Airport’s mess. They want our Country to do badly. They want our Country to fail. They broke the already signed Bill because they want to take care of Criminals who enter our Country illegally, rather than American citizens. Thank you to our great ICE Patriots for helping. It makes a big difference. I may call up the National Guard for more help," the president declared in the Wednesday Truth Social post.
TSA Deputy Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill testified on Capitol Hill Wednesday that the agency is experiencing the highest wait times in its history as the Department of Homeland Security remains shut down for a 40th day.
"Now, multiple major airports are experiencing days where 40 to 50% of their staff are calling out because they simply cannot afford to report to work," McNeill said. "This has led to the highest wait times in TSA history, with some wait times greater than 4.5 hours."
"We are being forced to consolidate lanes and may have to close smaller airports if we do not have enough officers," she said. "It is a fluid, challenging and unpredictable situation. We understand this is frustrating and disruptive."
Department of Homeland Security acting assistant administrator for public affairs Lauren Bis said that more than 481 Transportation Security Administration officers have departed the workforce during the shutdown that has so far lasted more than a month.
"Thirty-nine days into this reckless shutdown, more than 481 TSA officers have left the workforce, and thousands more are calling out because they can't afford basic necessities like gas, childcare, food, or rent," Bis said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
The shutdown is currently on day 40.
"As Democrats continue to put the safety, reliability, and efficiency of air travel at risk, President Trump is taking action deploying hundreds of ICE officers, already funded by Congress, to support airports facing the greatest strain. This step will strengthen TSA operations, help keep our skies safe, and reduce disruptions for the traveling public,” Bis added.
Fox News Digital's Preston Mizell contributed to this report
{{#rendered}}As the Department of Homeland Security shutdown persists amid a political stalemate over a funding lapse, Ha Nguyen McNeill, the senior official performing the duties of the administrator at the Transportation Security Administration, said during a House Homeland Security committee hearing on Wednesday that the TSA has been shut down for half of the fiscal year.
"This fiscal year, TSA has been shut down for 50% of the time, or 85 days," she said during her opening statement.
"Ninety-five percent, or more than 61,000 of TSA's employees must continue working without pay during a shutdown," McNeill said.
The current DHS shutdown has been going on since mid-February, and due to the current funding lapse, TSA workers aren't getting paid.
"Many in our workforce have missed bill payments, received eviction notices, had their cars repossessed and utilities shut off, lost their childcare, defaulted on loans, damaged their credit line, and drained their retirement savings. Some are sleeping in their cars, selling their blood and plasma, and taking on ... second jobs to make ends meet. All while being expected to perform at the highest level when in uniform to protect the traveling public," McNeill said.
Travelers weighed in on President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to airports across the country on Monday as the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) workforce struggles to continue operations amid a government shutdown that’s nearing the 40-day mark.
Some travelers blasted the idea, fearing that the training received by ICE agents wouldn’t translate to airport security.
"I think it’s ludicrous," one observer told Fox News Digital. "First of all, they’re not trained for screening. Secondly, the last thing we need in airports is armed people."
House Speaker Mike Johnson , R-La., and the GOP at large are blaming Democrats as Americans face long security lines at airports while a Department of Homeland Security funding lapse and related department shutdown drag on.
"The Democrat’s DHS shutdown strategy is clear: Block paychecks for TSA officers and force Americans to wait in lines at airports across the country — while letting criminal illegal aliens skip the line to enter the country. It’s madness," Johnson declared in a Tuesday post on X.
"Republicans will keep fighting to end this senseless chaos and protect the American people," he added.
Transportation Security Administration workers have been going unpaid during the political standoff.
More than 450 TSA officers have quit, DHS previously noted, while thousands of workers have been calling out.
TSA official Ha Nguyen McNeill is expected to tell a congressional committee on Wednesday that around 460 officers have quit since the funding lapse started, Reuters reported.
The House Homeland Security Committee is slated to hold a hearing on Wednesday morning titled, "Funding Lapse and Security Gaps: Assessing the Harmful Impacts of the DHS Shutdown on Americans."
{{#rendered}}Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said Democrats want to ban U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from wearing face masks so the officials can be doxxed and their families terrorized.
"Senate Democrats want to ban ICE officers from wearing masks so their left-wing street militias can dox the officers and terrorize the officers’ wives and children at their homes," Cotton asserted in a post on X.
"That’s why TSA lines are so long," he added.
TSA workers have not been getting paid due to an ongoing Department of Homeland Security funding lapse.
President Donald Trump recently deployed ICE officers to airports amid the political standoff over DHS funding.
In a Monday Truth Social the president indicated that he did not want ICE to wear masks while working at airports.
"I am a BIG proponent of ICE wearing masks as they search for, and are forced to deal with, hardened criminals, many of whom were let into our Country by Sleepy Joe Biden and his wonderful 'Border Czar,' Kamala (she never even went to the Border!), through their absolutely INSANE Open Border Policy. I would greatly appreciate, however, NO MASKS, when helping our Country out of the Democrat caused MESS at the airports, etc. Thank you!" the president declared in the post.
Leadership from several Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies will be testifying on Capitol Hill on Wednesday morning about the impact the partial government shutdown is having on their agencies.
The House Homeland Security Committee has a hearing titled, "Funding Lapse and Security Gaps: Assessing the Harmful Impacts of the DHS Shutdown on Americans," set to begin at 10 a.m. ET.
Witnesses will include acting Transportation Security Administration administrator, Deputy TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, as more than 450 TSA employees have quit since the shutdown began and TSA callout rates have passed 11% nationally this week.
Lawmakers are expected to discuss TSA lines, security risks to the homeland amid the Iran war and America 250 events as potential terror targets.
McNeill previously testified before Congress just before the shutdown, warning that if TSA went unpaid for a lengthy period again, travelers would pay the price with long lines at airports — which is exactly what has happened.
Other officials testifying before Congress on Wednesday morning will include individuals with the U.S. Coast Guard, FEMA and CISA.
The hearing comes as senators are working on a potential bipartisan deal that would fund all of DHS except for ICE's deportation wing, but House members have largely been left out in the cold during the talks.
Fox News' Melissa Summers contributed to this post.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin faces his first full day at the helm Wednesday after being sworn in Tuesday.
In part of a Tuesday post on X, Mullin noted that he is “committed to safeguarding the American people and protecting the homeland."
"I’ll fight for your family just as I’ll fight for mine,” he noted. "I look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with the 260,000 outstanding DHS employees and their families to keep our nation safe."
“My first priority is to end the partisan fighting and reopen the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a matter of national security,” he asserted on X.
Mullin thanked President Donald Trump for his trust, saying "it's an honor to serve."
Fox News Digital's Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report
{{#rendered}}Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has asked the Senate financial clerk to hold his salary as Department of Homeland Security (DHS) workers go unpaid during the partial government shutdown.
He shared a letter to the clerk on X that states, "For the remainder of the current partial lapse in appropriations, please hold my salary for pickup in the Disbursing Office."
"Due to the Democrat’s Shutdown, I’ve asked the Financial Clerk of the Senate to hold my salary," Cruz wrote in an accompanying X post. "It’s not right for Members of Congress to be paid if the working men and women of DHS aren’t."
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