DHS shutdown hits record as some TSA agents receive pay
The Department of Homeland Security shutdown reached a record 45 days on Monday as a House bill is sent to the Senate that, if passed, would approve a two-month stopgap spending plan for the entire agency. Meanwhile, Transportation Security Administration agents are beginning to receive emergency pay during the shutdown in the hopes of easing long security lines at airports.
Rep Kevin Kiley urges Congress to return as shutdown leaves TSA workers unpaid
Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., is calling on Congress to return to Washington as the Department of Homeland Security shutdown drags on, warning that inaction is worsening the impact on federal workers and travelers.
“It is unacceptable that Congress is out of session while the Department of Homeland Security shutdown continues,” Kiley wrote on X. “I’m calling for the Senate and House to reconvene and remain in session until this impasse is resolved.”
Kiley said the consequences are already being felt by Transportation Security Administration workers, many of whom have missed paychecks as the shutdown stretches on.
“I think the fact that you have these TSA agents who have continued to miss paychecks and had to go through last year the longest full government shutdown in U.S. History and now are in the midst of the longest partial shutdown in government history, it is absolutely unacceptable,” Kiley said during a CNN interview. “You can talk about the leverage. You can talk about the pressure points. But there are the real-world consequences for the folks who are missing paychecks.”
He added that some federal workers have been forced to take on second jobs after long shifts, including driving for rideshare services, underscoring the financial strain caused by the shutdown.
Kiley also criticized lawmakers in Washington for prioritizing political messaging over solutions.
“I think the big problem we have here, and frankly it's the problem with a lot of what happens in Congress and in Washington, is that the focus is more on trying to blame the other side, trying to score points, rather than actually trying to come together to solve problems,” he said, adding that he would support either of the competing funding proposals in Congress if it meant ending the shutdown.
Emergency TSA lanes undergo drastic transformation at major airport after Trump action
Emergency security lanes at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, one of the airports that were most affected by the ongoing partial government shutdown, were seen being cleared by staff on Monday after President Donald Trump signed an executive order over the weekend to pay Transportation Security Administration officers.
Though complications from hundreds of TSA workers quitting, and even more calling out of work, are likely to continue, the effects of the resumed paychecks could be seen almost immediately.
At Bush, where wait times were more than four hours and lines stretched out of terminal doors and into underground subway tunnels, the emergency appears to finally be over. Fox News filmed airport staff clearing the emergency lanes set up outside the terminal doors. Several travelers could be seen strolling past where the lanes had previously been. Current security wait times listed on the airport’s website are five and nine minutes.
Last week, travelers told Fox News Digital that they had to walk "miles" to get to the back of the security line, and at times, wait times were over four hours. Neither party escaped travelers’ ire over the fiasco, as several told Fox News Digital that they blamed "all congressmen" and "politicians."
Find out more about the drastic transformations at airports after Trump’s action.
This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News’ Peter Pinedo and Brooke Taylor.
DHS vows deportation operations ‘will continue’ as ICE agents help TSA, agency defunded
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are continuing deportation operations despite a lapse in federal funding and being deployed to assist with massive airport security lines across the country, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News Digital.
According to the department, ICE officers continuing immigration enforcement operations nationwide arrested child predators, rapists, drug traffickers and a member of the violent Salvadoran MS-13 gang over the weekend.
This comes as ICE officers were seen assisting the understaffed Transportation Security Administration and airport staff at terminals across the country, including New York City, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Atlanta and New Orleans. On Sunday, Trump border czar Tom Homan told CBS News that ICE agents will "continue a nice presence" at airports until they "feel like they're 100% … in a posture where they can do no normal operations."
DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis addressed concerns that ICE would not be able to sustain its normal operations while assisting TSA by telling Fox News Digital that ICE "will continue arresting public safety threats from our communities and will not allow the Democrats to slow us down from making America safe again."
Find out what else DHS said about the role of ICE agents.
This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo.
Sean Duffy warns TSA shortages during shutdown causing airport waits up to four hours
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that the Department of Homeland Security shutdown is driving TSA staffing shortages and long airport security lines, with wait times in some cases reaching up to four hours.
“So, Homeland Security is shut down right now, and you have TSA workers that have gone for a partial payment, no cash, and then two full pay periods,” Duffy told FOX Business’ Jeff Flock. “A lot of them have decided not to come into work, and so you're seeing really long lines, in some places, up to four hours.”
Duffy said delays remain ongoing and can surface unpredictably at airports across the country.
“We’re still seeing lines today … what happens is they pop up in different areas,” he said, pointing to reports of extended wait times in Baltimore. “It was kind of like the last shutdown with air traffic controllers — you don’t know where it pops up.”
The comments come as President Donald Trump has taken steps to get money into the hands of TSA workers, though staffing gaps and delays have persisted in the short term.
Duffy added that the broader aviation system depends on coordination across multiple roles — including TSA officers, air traffic controllers and airlines — as officials work to maintain safe and efficient operations.
House Republicans and Democrats trade accusations as DHS shutdown standoff continues
House Republicans pushed back after Democrats accused them of prolonging the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, trading sharp accusations over immigration, elections and U.S. policy toward Iran.
In a post on X, House Democrats blamed Republicans for the ongoing standoff.
“Republicans are keeping the Department of Homeland Security shut down. Republicans are moving to disenfranchise millions of voters to rig elections,” the House Democrats account wrote. “Republicans are supporting an illegal war in Iran. None of this makes life more affordable. All of this is WRONG.”
House Republicans responded by rejecting those claims and accusing Democrats of repeatedly voting against DHS funding and immigration enforcement measures.
“House Democrats voted to defund the Department of Homeland Security — four times,” the House GOP account wrote on X. “Democrats voted AGAINST keeping illegals out of our elections. Democrats would rather see the terrorist Iranian regime prevail than support President Donald Trump as he saves American lives. Democrats stand with violent illegal aliens, not the safety of Americans like Sheridan Gorman.”
The exchange comes as lawmakers remain at an impasse over DHS funding, with the shutdown continuing to impact federal workers and agency operations.
Sen Susan Collins warns shutdown risks national security operations urges return to talks
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, warned the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown is putting critical national security functions at risk as she called for lawmakers to return to negotiations and reach a funding agreement.
“I have been talking with my colleagues about whether they are interested in returning to negotiations and seeing if we can get this back on track,” Collins told FOX Business’ Jeff Flock on Monday. “I think that it's dangerous to not provide funding for Customs and Border Patrol and for the parts of ICE that do homeland security investigations… So, I would like to see us go back to the bargaining table.”
She said the process has been “extremely frustrating” because once Republicans think they have an agreement, the “Democrats move the goalposts.”
“There is funding in last year's reconciliation bill that the president correctly used to help fund the TSA so that we could ease the tremendous hardship that is on those employees,” Collins said, adding that there is also funding that can be used for immigration enforcement.
Collins also said she is concerned agencies like the U.S. Coast Guard, which is currently being partially funded, as well as FEMA, are not receiving full support, warning lawmakers must ensure those operations remain fully funded.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian blasts Congress as TSA shortages fuel airport delays
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian blasted Congress over ongoing travel disruptions tied to the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, calling the situation a “travesty” as TSA staffing shortages continue to snarl airport security lines.
“We are beyond frustrated at the lack of leadership that's coming out of Congress,” Bastian said Monday on FOX Business’ “The Claman Countdown.” “I appreciate the patience of our customers that have to go through this ordeal, but it's a travesty.”
Bastian also took aim at lawmakers who receive travel perks like being able to bypass the “mess that they’ve created,” suggesting they experience the delays firsthand.
“We want to make sure they understand what they're doing and stand in line just like everybody else,” he said.
The comments come as TSA staffing shortages during the shutdown have contributed to long security lines and delays at airports across the country, even as travel demand remains strong.
Bastian added that broader pressures facing the aviation industry — including higher fuel costs and the need for continued investment in air traffic control modernization — are likely to persist in the months ahead.
TSA callout rates top 10 percent for eight days as shutdown strains airport staffing
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) callout rates remained above 10% for eight consecutive days in late March, according to internal data, as a prolonged Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown strained airport staffing and disrupted travel across the U.S.
The elevated absentee rates come as tens of thousands of TSA workers have been operating without pay during the shutdown, which reached a record 45 days on Monday.
Data from March 22 through March 29 shows callout rates ranging from 10.27% to 12.35%, with an average of approximately 11.34% over the eight-day period.
The highest rate was recorded March 27 at 12.35%, while the lowest came March 28 at 10.27% — still well above typical levels, with TSA callout rates normally around 2%.
Daily TSA callout rates were as follows – March 22: 11.76%; March 23: 10.93%; March 24: 11.14%; March 25: 11.83%; March 26: 11.83%; March 27: 12.35%; March 28: 10.27%; March 29: 10.59%.
Federal officials have warned that absentee rates have climbed during the shutdown, contributing to long security lines, delays and missed flights at airports across the country.
In response, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing that TSA officers receive pay, with some workers beginning to receive paychecks in recent days in an effort to stabilize staffing and ease congestion at checkpoints.
While there have been some signs of improvement in wait times, staffing levels remain under pressure, particularly as spring travel demand increases.
If callout rates remain elevated, travelers could continue to experience delays at airport security checkpoints, especially at major hubs already operating near capacity.
Airports beg flight passengers to change their travel habits after DHS shutdown jams lines
Airports are still recovering from the fallout of the DHS shutdown that resulted in a shortage of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers — and some are now changing their advisory messages to travelers.
John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Ohio is cautioning passengers to arrive just 1.5 hours before their flights depart.
"Early morning travel PSA, 90 minutes before departure is the sweet spot," the airport posted on X on Thursday.
"Showing up too early creates those first-wave lines," the post also said. "Even when lines stretch to ticketing, waits are usually [about] 45 mins."
Find out more about what airports are asking of passengers during the DHS shutdown.
This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella.
Leavitt calls on Congress to end Easter recess to work on DHS shutdown
The White House is calling on Congress to return from Easter recess to pass funding to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, arguing the standoff has disrupted TSA operations and airport travel nationwide.
"Nothing will be truly normal again until Democrats do the right thing to fund this agency fully again," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at Monday's press briefing. "The president has stepped in – in the meantime to do what's right to end this crisis that we've had at air travel, at airports across the country in the meantime.
"But again, Congress needs to come back. Democrats need to fund the Department of Homeland Security so we can formally and fully get these great employees paid long into the future," Leavitt added.
This is a breaking news update on the DHS shutdown. Check back for more.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital’s Eric Mack.
Most TSA workers received retroactive pay, but some may see ‘slight delay,’ DHS says
TSA workers who have been working without pay during the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown are getting a retroactive paycheck Monday, though there are several reasons why some may see that payment delayed, according to DHS.
DHS said in a statement Monday that most TSA workers would get paid at least two full paychecks covering pay periods 4 and 5, though added that some may see “a slight delay” in getting the full retroactive pay.
“A small population might see a slight delay due to a variety of reasons, including financial institution processing times or issues with their direct deposit,” DHS said. “We are working aggressively with USDA’s National Finance Center to complete processing for the half paycheck they are owed from pay period 3 as soon as possible."
Fox News national news correspondent Brooke Taylor spoke with two TSA workers in Houston who say they received only half the pay that they are owed.
The TSA workers told Fox News that while they’re happy about receiving back pay, they are still frustrated over no real long-term solution as bills pile up and worries mounts over future paychecks. One woman shared that she’s struggling to pay rent and may quit because of the ongoing uncertainty.
Meanwhile, the DHS statement thanked President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin for getting TSA workers paid.
“TSA officers are grateful to President Trump and Secretary Mullin for their leadership to put money back into the pockets of TSA employees who worked without pay during the ongoing Democrat DHS shutdown,” the statement said. “Working without pay forced more than 500 officers to leave TSA and thousands were forced to call out.”
Reporting by Fox News national new correspondent Brooke Taylor.
Senator explains why GOP didn't try to pass House spending bill by unanimous consent
A Republican senator explained why the GOP didn’t try to end the DHS shutdown by passing the House spending bill by unanimous consent when the Senate pro forma session came to order on Monday morning.
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., who presided over the pro forma session, told Fox News’ chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram that there was simply no consent yet.
“Well, we don't have consent yet, so it would have been another, you know, where we'd pitch it, they’d decline. Obviously, Sen. [Chris] Coons was there to do that,” Hoeven said.
When Pergram noted that Republicans could have just blamed Democrats for the continued shutdown had Coons objected to unanimous consent, Hoeven said that the shutdown “was clearly the Democrats fault” and there were still negotiations behind the scenes.
“If we can get the Democrats to consent to anything, then Thursday we'll have another pro forma and we can do it,” Hoeven said. “It's the difference between just doing it as kind of a show vote, if you will, and actually working to try to get consent on all or some part of the legislation we passed. So we are having that negotiation, remember, not only with Democrats but with our colleagues, in the House.”
Hoeven also said that Republicans plan to try to fund the Department of Homeland Security for three full years using budget reconciliation.
“My point is we're continuing to work to negotiate,” he said. “But more importantly or as importantly, I should say, we're also now working on budget reconciliation where with 51 votes we can fully fund DHS and, I hope, funded for the next three years so the Democrats can't create another shutdown like they did this time.”
Dem senator walks away when reporter presses him about 2-week Senate recess during shutdown
A Democratic senator walked away from a reporter who pressed him about senators taking an upcoming two-week recess during the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, which stretched into its 45th day on Monday.
Sen. Chris Coon, D-Del., spoke to reporters following the pro forma that adjourned the Senate until Thursday, and was asked by CBS News congressional correspondent Nikole Killion about the Senate recess as DHS workers are still going unpaid.
“How do you justify being off for the next two weeks?” Killion asked. “We're 45 days in. Can Democrats and Republicans keep affording to play this blame game?”
“You know well that we're not off,” Coons replied. “We're working every day in our home states. For most of us, this is when we have the time to go up and down our state and to meet with our constituents and listen to their concerns.”
Killion pressed Coons, emphasizing that DHS workers would still not getting paychecks as senators took the recess.
“Ma'am, let me finish my answer,” Coons said.
“Don't you owe it to them?” Killion interjected, referring to DHS workers.
Coons replied, “Thank you all very much,” before turning and walking away from reporters.
Dem Sen. Coons says he attended pro forma to object to any Republican ‘shenanigans’
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., spoke to reporters following the pro forma session that adjourned the Senate until Thursday without a DHS funding deal in place.
Coons told Fox News’ chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram that he was there to object should a Republican have asked for unanimous consent.
“Just in case a Republican member showed up and said, ‘I ask unanimous consent that we fund ICE and Border Patrol,’ or that ‘we adopt the House bill,’ I was there to object,” Coons said.
Coons called pro forma sessions “a little odd,” saying that “we shouldn't have to have members come down for this.” The pro forma lasted about 30 seconds, with Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., simply gaveling the session into order and then gaveling out.
“I was here just in case there were some shenanigans, and there was a Democrat needed to block an attempt at taking up and passing the Save act, which would disenfranchise millions of Americans, or full funding for DHS with no reforms for ICE or Border Patrol,” Coons said.
Senate adjourns until Thursday as DHS shutdown drags on
The Senate came to order Monday morning and gaveled out, adjourning until 7 a.m. Thursday without a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
The “pro forma” session was presided over by Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and came to order Monday after the House passed a bill Friday that would fund all of DHS for two months. Hoeven gaveled in and then gaveled out after about 30 seconds, effectively saying no to the House bill.
While rare for the minority party to attend “pro forma” sessions such as this, Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware was in attendance, likely to make sure that Republicans didn’t try to pass the House-passed funding bill by unanimous consent.
Fox News' Chief Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
Some of TSA officers start receiving paychecks
Some TSA officers told Fox News on Monday morning that they have started receiving paychecks after working without pay since DHS funding lapsed on Valentine's Day.
Speaking with TSA agents at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Fox News learned that many of them have begun seeing paychecks after President Donald Trump issued an executive order for emergency pay on Friday.
One TSA agent, however, said he didn’t see the paycheck in his account yet but believed it would be coming, noting it may be a difference in banks.
Another TSA agent said that his paycheck of $4,321 was still 30 hours short of what he has worked since the funding lapse.
Reporting by Fox News' Claudia Kelly-Bazan.
What to expect on DHS funding when the Senate meets Monday morning
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding drama will return to the Senate Monday morning after the House approved a two-month stopgap spending plan for all of DHS late Friday night.
The Senate meets today at 10:30 am in what was supposed to be a brief “pro forma” session where the body simply gavels in and gavels out with a skeleton crew on hand.
But that might not be what happens Monday. As soon as the Senate gets through the prayer a pledge, it’s possible that a Republican senator seeks recognition from the chair.
If that happens, we anticipate the GOP senator to ask unanimous consent, meaning all 100 senators would agree to take up the DHS bill passed by the House on Friday, that it be “read a third time” and passed.
The chair will then ask if there is an objection.
If any senator — be they a Democrat or Republican — objects, the House bill is dead. That means that the House and Senate continue to be out of alignment on the DHS funding question. For instance, the House didn’t even consider the bill cleared by all 100 senators and passed by the Senate at 2:19 am Friday. The House simply wrote their own two-month interim bill, passed it Friday night and skipped town.
If there is no objection, the House and Senate are aligned and will have passed the same bill. That means they are on the same page.
Approval of the House bill by the Senate would end the DHS shutdown.
But if there’s an objection, everything remains frozen.
This is both the parliamentary magic — and dark underbelly of “unanimous consent” in the Senate. You could have 99 senators in favor of something. But all it takes is a solitary objection to foil a bill under “unanimous consent” or “UC” as it’s often called in the Senate.
In fact, it’s also a possibility that Democrats could then offer their own DHS funding bill and ask the Senate to approve that by unanimous consent. It’s likely that whatever Republican senator is on duty tomorrow would object, thus blocking the Democratic request.
If the Senate blocks the House bill, it’s doubtful there’s any way to end the DHS shutdown until after both bodies return in mid-April following the Easter/Passover recess.
Republicans truly want to fund DHS. But a Democratic objection presents the GOP with a political opportunity. They can then point to that objection as the reason DHS remains shuttered, arguing that Democrats blocked the House approved bill.
Republicans believe this helps them in the midterms. They ran on border security and won in 2024. Republicans want to point to a Democratic objection as evidence that they don’t want to fund ICE.
But by the same token, Democrats could argue that Republicans are partly responsible for the shutdown and the long TSA lines if they object to the Democratic unanimous consent request.
A spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., says Senate Democrats will not accept anything other than the bill to fund most of DHS agreed to by all 100 senators early Friday morning.
Major airports still urging travelers to arrive early even after Trump ordered TSA pay
It's unclear how quickly travelers will see an impact after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that instructed the Department of Homeland Security to pay TSA officers immediately.
Some major U.S. airports on Sunday were still urging travelers to arrive hours early to get through long security lines.
Houston's main airport, George Bush Intercontinental, warned Sunday evening that TSA wait times could reach four hours or longer. Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport also told passengers to arrive at least four hours early for both domestic and international flights.
New York's LaGuardia Airport posted an alert Sunday evening on its website that “TSA lines are currently longer than usual.”
Baltimore-Washington International Airport said Sunday on X that “wait times have greatly subsided on this Spring Break Sunday," but it still asked passengers to show up several hours early. Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans offered the same guidance.
Tens of thousands of TSA employees have been working without pay since DHS funding lapsed on Valentine's Day. The department's shutdown reached 45 days on Monday, eclipsing the record 43-day shutdown last fall that affected all of the federal government.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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