Funding for the Department of Homeland Security resumed after a 75-day shutdown — but Democrats are already threatening to cut funding again in September if their demands are not met.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), a ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said Democrats would “absolutely” shut down DHS again if Republicans do not agree to proposed reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — such as banning law enforcement officers from wearing masks and requiring judicial warrants for immigration-related arrests.
“In America, police shouldn’t wear masks while walking the streets,” Thompson said, ignoring the dramatic uptick in threats and violent assaults against immigration enforcement officers and their families. “They need identification, they need cameras, and they need judicial warrants.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) says Democrats “absolutely” may shut down DHS again in September if the ICE/CBP reforms they demanded aren’t included in the next DHS approps bill. Dems failed to get any reforms with this shutdown &amp; GOP plans to go around them to fund ICE/CBP. <a href="https://t.co/FOjRZcXOvf">https://t.co/FOjRZcXOvf</a>
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillMelugin_/status/2050575956427891178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The House of Representatives ended the record-setting shutdown on Thursday after passing a bill funding most of the DHS — including the Transportation Security Administration and the Secret Service — through the end of September. ICE and Customs and Border Patrol were left out of the measure. Republicans are relying on a reconciliation bill — which would let the Senate bypass the 60-vote procedural threshold and thus the Democrats’ demands — to move ahead with funding for ICE and CBP.
The shutdown began in February after Democrats refused to approve DHS funding unless Republicans agreed to include sweeping federal immigration enforcement reforms. Travelers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/travelers-spent-nine-hours-in-tsa-line-as-major-hub-becomes-dhs-shutdown-flashpoint?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Travelers+Spent+Nine+Hours+In+TSA+Line+As+Major+Hub+Becomes+DHS+Shutdown+Flashpoint">spent</a> hours in TSA security lines at major airports, and the Coast Guard <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-lights-go-out-coast-guard-faces-shutoffs-financial-crisis-as-dhs-shutdown-hits-day-75">faced</a> utility shutoffs at military installations.
Despite the hardships shouldered by everyday Americans during such shutdowns, Thompson was clear that Democrats are willing to trigger another shutdown if they do not get what they want.
CNN&#8217;s Victor Blackwell pressed Thompson on his answer, asking whether Democrats were willing to force government employees to go without pay again.
“When you say ‘absolutely,’ that suggests that there could be another shutdown, and there could be another lapse in pay for those TSA workers, the Coast Guard, if Democrats withhold those votes at the end of September,” Blackwell said.
“Absolutely. Victor, look, we have to stand for democracy. If we have to fight for it, there has to be sacrifice,&#8221; Thompson added, apparently unconcerned with the fact that it would be average American families making the &#8220;sacrifice&#8221; he was so quick to offer.

Rep. Bennie Thompson

Democrat ‘Absolutely’ Willing to Trigger Another Shutdown If Demands Aren’t Met

Bennie Thompson

Democrats

Federal Government

Government Shutdown

Politics

The Department of Homeland Security shutdown is now set to be largely over, after the House of Representatives approved the Senate-backed plan to fund every element of the department except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). A reconciliation bill is anticipated to fund the other two critical law enforcement agencies.
The move in the House was conducted with a voice vote, according to <a href="https://x.com/BillMelugin_/status/2049899389435449379?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a>.
President Donald Trump will now have to sign off on the funding, as there were concerns once again about being able to pay employees of the department starting on Friday.
The shutdown began in mid-February, as Democrats wanted sweeping federal immigration enforcement reforms in opposition to the Trump administration, particularly Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota.
On April 1, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) came to an agreement with the president on how to best tackle the shutdown, as the Senate passed the deal that left out ICE and CBP in late March, whereas House Republicans passed a 60-day continuing resolution that funded everything.
“In the coming days, Republicans in the Senate and House will be following through on the President’s directive by fully funding the entire Department of Homeland Security on two parallel tracks: through the appropriations process and through the reconciliation process,” the Republican leaders <a href="https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/2039413952220631443?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a> at the time.
“While we hoped they would accept the 60-day CR to fund the Department entirely so that bipartisan negotiations could continue, it is now abundantly clear that Democrats place allegiance to their radical left-wing base above all else — including their own power of the purse — which means open borders and protecting criminal illegal aliens,” the statement continued.
While Democrats wanted a long list of changes made to immigration enforcement, including the end of masking and the use of judicial warrants, it’s highly unlikely they will get the reforms they sought given the workaround nature of a reconciliation deal. A reconciliation bill allows the Senate to bypass its 60-vote procedural threshold, but it follows strict rules about what’s allowed and not allowed in the legislation.
The DHS shutdown most clearly played out before Americans due to long TSA lines, as agents were going without pay for weeks until executive action was taken.

Mullin To Face Senate Scrutiny Over Ability To Lead Behemoth DHS

DHS Shutdown Ends For TSA And Secret Service, But Border Security Left Hanging

Congress

Department of Homeland Security

Illegal Immigration

In a blow to national security and maritime safety, the U.S. Coast Guard is facing an internal crisis as the partial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown reaches its 75th day.
Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday revealed that the funding lapse has become so severe that utility companies are beginning to shut off power, water, and gas at active military installations across the country.
During a CBS News interview, Lunday confirmed that &#8220;the lights are shutting off&#8221; at stations tasked with life-saving missions. In the last several days, Station Channel Islands in California and Station Port Huron in Michigan had their power cut off, while Air Station Barbers Point in Hawaii saw its natural gas service interrupted.
While the Coast Guard was able to restore these specific services, Lunday warned that the number of shutoffs is expected to rise. These stations operate 24/7, 365 days a year, standing ready to respond to mariners in distress or national security threats.
&#8220;I think a lot of Americans would be pissed to hear this is happening,&#8221; the CBS interviewer posited to the Admiral.
&#8220;Furious,&#8221; Lunday responded. &#8220;That’s exactly right.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
EXCLUSIVE: Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday tells CBS News’ <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleSganga?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NicoleSganga</a> that several Coast Guard stations across the country recently lost power, water or gas. Service has been restored, but he warns more outages could happen as the DHS shutdown continues. More tomorrow… <a href="https://t.co/G0k6qtz80h">pic.twitter.com/G0k6qtz80h</a>
&mdash; CBS News (@CBSNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/2049637221385506868?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Coast Guard acts as the nation&#8217;s maritime police force. Because they have Title 14 authority, they can board vessels at sea without a warrant to ensure compliance with U.S. laws.
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>Drug Interdiction: They are the lead agency for stopping the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. via the sea, often seizing billions of dollars worth of cocaine and marijuana annually.</li>
<li>Migrant Interdiction: They patrol the Caribbean and the Pacific to intercept human trafficking and illegal migration, often rescuing people from unseaworthy vessels.</li>
<li>Ports &amp; Waterways Security: They protect 361 U.S. ports from terrorism and ensure that &#8220;high interest&#8221; vessels (like tankers or cruise ships) are screened before entering.</li>
</ul>
The Coast Guard currently holds the distinction of being the only military branch impacted by the funding stalemate. Because the service falls under the Department of Homeland Security rather than the Department of Defense, its personnel are caught in a legislative &#8220;procedural loop&#8221; over immigration enforcement and the SAVE Act.
The human cost of the 75-day impasse is <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/04/28/utility-shutoffs-mounting-debt-coast-guard-endures-hardships-in-ongoing-shutdown/">mounting</a>:
<ul data-path-to-node="9">
<li>
Personnel Hardship: While active-duty members have received intermittent pay through discretionary funding shifts, there is no guarantee of future checks. Families are reportedly relying on interest-free loans from Coast Guard Mutual Assistance to buy groceries.
</li>
<li>
Civilian Crisis: Nearly 10,000 civilian employees went unpaid for nearly two months. One civil servant in Alaska reportedly sold his car to pay rent before emergency funding was briefly released.
</li>
<li>
Operational Decay: Over $200 million in unpaid bills has caused private contractors to cease maintenance on ships and aircraft.
</li>
</ul>
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has staunchly refused to bring the bill funding DHS to a vote, as House Republicans are insisting on a funding package that includes strict immigration reforms and the SAVE Act, using the DHS budget as legislative leverage.
“We have to move DHA funding because it’s urgent … we are out of money,” Johnson stated.
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Phil Waldron told a House subcommittee that the workforce&#8217;s focus is being &#8220;dangerously fractured&#8221; by financial anxiety. &#8220;Their focus is required for dangerous missions,&#8221; Waldron said. &#8220;That focus is fractured when they’re worried about paying their rent.&#8221;
As of April 30, 2026, the shutdown remains the longest in DHS history. While the Coast Guard continues to answer distress calls under its &#8220;Always Ready&#8221; motto, leadership warns that every day of the shutdown creates a 2.5-day recovery backlog, hollowing out the readiness of the nation’s primary maritime shield.

U.S. Coast Guard Helicopter

‘The Lights Go Out’: Coast Guard Faces Shutoffs, Financial Crisis As DHS Shutdown Hits Day 75

Coast Guard

Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned Tuesday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will run out of emergency cash by May, and said that Democrats must either agree to fund the department or explain why they want &#8220;open borders.&#8221;
President Donald Trump earlier approved emergency funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to pay Homeland Security personnel. More than two months into the DHS shutdown, that money is nearly gone.
&#8220;But that money is dried up if I continue down this path the first week of May,&#8221; Mullin said on Fox &amp; Friends Tuesday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
MULLIN says DHS will run out of emergency cash to pay his workforce at the end of April
&#8220;There&#8217;s no more money.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/KYdXI8Algt">pic.twitter.com/KYdXI8Algt</a>
— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) <a href="https://twitter.com/JennieSTaer/status/2046583932825612546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
DHS is shelling out more than $1.6 billion to pay its workforce every two weeks, the new secretary said, adding, &#8220;so the money is going extremely fast.&#8221;
&#8220;After we get through April, which I got two more weeks,&#8221; Mullin said. &#8220;I&#8217;ve got one payroll left, and there is no emergency funds, so the president can&#8217;t do another executive order for us to use money because there&#8217;s no more money there.&#8221;
Roughly two-thirds of DHS employees are furloughed, according to Mullin.
The Senate is expected to vote as early as this week on a budget blueprint for a reconciliation package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). However, Republicans and Democrats have yet to reach a final agreement on a long-term funding solution.
&#8220;What the Democrats need to do is explain to the American people why they want open borders and why they don&#8217;t want to deport these illegals that are truly running our cities and running our streets. And at some point, they need to be held accountable because they&#8217;re putting the homeland at risk &#8230; because our adversaries are taking advantage of the weakness,&#8221; he said.
Senate Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), are pushing for a funding package that would extend ICE and CBP funding into the next decade, while also including defense spending, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5835883-reconciliation-dhs-fisa-warsh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The Hill.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has advocated for a &#8220;skinny&#8221; funding package that is more likely to pass both chambers, the outlet reported.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) has advocated for a &#8220;tight&#8221; bill, according to The Hill.
“Why are we trying to make this more difficult? In fact, if you’ve got a really great set of ideas, then convince Sen. Graham to create another reconciliation vehicle, and we can do it after we dispense with the matter at hand,” he said.

Untitled design – 2026-04-21T094902.185

‘We’ve Got One Payroll Left’: DHS Cash Crisis Is Closer Than You Think

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Markwayne Mullin

Agents with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) should start seeing paychecks Monday or Tuesday, but it could still be quite some time before the business of traveling by air returns to business as usual.
Border Czar Tom Homan told CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Sunday that he had spoken with newly sworn-in Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin about President Donald Trump&#8217;s order — which directed him to pay TSA agents out of preexisting funding — and that they expected agents to see their first paychecks in weeks within the coming days.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Border Czar Tom Homan says TSA agents can expect to be paid &#8220;tomorrow or Tuesday.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/b8XBX11sLC">pic.twitter.com/b8XBX11sLC</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2038245064388858129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Homan also addressed Trump&#8217;s decision to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents into airports — a move made to mitigate the chaos of long lines and wait times as the lack of pay led to mass callouts among TSA employees — and said that they may remain in place for a time yet.
&#8220;We’ll see. You know, it depends how many TSA agents come back to work. How many TSA agents have actually quit and have no plan coming back to work? I’m working very closely with TSA administrator and the ICE director to decide what airport needs what,&#8221; Homan told Tapper.
The president issued an executive order on Friday directing Mullin to use funding that had &#8220;a reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations&#8221; to ensure that agents received pay. They have not been paid since Democrats voted against funding the Department of Homeland Security some six weeks earlier, forcing a partial government shutdown that has also impacted the U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Secret Service.
The Democrats voted to block the DHS funding bill after the deaths of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti during the ICE surge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, despite the fact that ICE agents were still being paid under provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill.
But as Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin <a href="https://x.com/BillMelugin_/status/2037604682370003061">reported</a>, only frontline ICE and Customs and Border Patrol agents are receiving paychecks amid the shutdown.
&#8220;The ICE, Border Patrol, and CBP agents we see in the field are all getting paid via OBBB. HOWEVER &#8230; their professional and civilian support staff are NOT being paid,&#8221; Melugin explained. &#8220;These are people who work the computers, the public affairs offices, and other support staff who aren&#8217;t on the front line making immigration arrests, but are supporting the agents who are. These civilian support staffers haven&#8217;t been paid for almost half of the last six months when you factor in the prior shutdown last fall.&#8221;
In an effort to get the TSA funded, the Senate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-strikes-overnight-deal-to-pay-tsa-agents-in-bid-to-end-airport-chaos">passed a measure</a> on Thursday that would break the logjam for most of DHS — with the exception of ICE and some parts of Border Patrol. But following President Trump&#8217;s lead, the House rejected the bill.
Neither the Senate bill nor a House bill that would fully fund DHS includes any of the ICE reforms demanded by Democrats, such as a ban on federal immigration agents wearing masks and a provision requiring judicial warrants for immigration enforcement operations.

TSA_Trump

Trump Gets TSA Paid Starting Today As ICE Presence Hinges On One Key Factor

Paychecks Are Coming For The TSA, But When Will Things Get Back To Normal?

Air Travel

Tom Homan

Former acting ICE Director and current White House Border Czar Tom Homan blasted congressional Democrats over the ongoing Department of Homeland Security funding standoff, accusing lawmakers of trying to strong-arm policy changes by withholding funding.
Speaking on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; Homan said the dispute is not about budgetary constraints, but about efforts to curb immigration enforcement.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;President Trump wants the entire <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DHSgov</a> funded,&#8221; says <a href="https://twitter.com/RealTomHoman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealTomHoman</a>.
&#8220;They&#8217;re holding the department hostage because they don&#8217;t like what ICE is doing — and ICE is enforcing laws they enacted.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/bMDcSIJ7IB">pic.twitter.com/bMDcSIJ7IB</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2038246477261119706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“President Donald Trump wants the entire Department of Homeland Security funded. He wants the government open and funded,” Homan said. “But the bottom line is they want changes in ICE tactics. They want changes in policy.” Homan argued that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is simply carrying out laws that have remained consistent across multiple administrations.
“The same laws ICE follows today have been in place during the Clinton, Obama [administrations], and now,” he said. “The law hasn’t changed.” According to Homan, lawmakers are privately pushing to limit arrests rather than openly advocating for abolishing ICE.
“They can say they don’t want to abolish ICE — I’m in the room,” he said. “They want to change operations so we arrest fewer people.” The remarks come as Congress remains locked in a dispute over DHS funding, with negotiations increasingly tied to immigration enforcement demands. Some lawmakers have pushed for additional oversight measures and operational restrictions, including expanded use of body cameras and clearer guidelines around enforcement locations.
Homan noted that ICE has already engaged in discussions on some of those issues, including funding for body cameras, which he said has been allocated at roughly $120 million. But he rejected claims that agents are routinely targeting sensitive locations such as churches or hospitals.
“They can’t point to a single instance—not one—where we’ve arrested anybody in a church or inside of a hospital,” Homan said. “We already practice discretion. We don’t do operations there unless there’s a significant national security threat.”
He added that while discussions over enforcement practices could continue, they should not come at the expense of funding the department. “Why can’t these discussions continue while we keep the Department of Homeland Security open?” Homan said. “They’re holding the department hostage because they don’t like what ICE is doing.”
At the center of the dispute is a fundamental divide between the House and Senate over whether immigration enforcement agencies should be fully funded. The Senate passed a bipartisan measure to reopen most of DHS but excluded funding for ICE and parts of Customs and Border Protection, an approach backed by Democrats but rejected by House Republicans. 
House Republicans instead pushed a short-term <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/28/us-house-stopgap-dhs-funding-bill-republicans-senate?">funding bill</a> that includes full funding for ICE, arguing that enforcement agencies should not be carved out of appropriations. That measure passed narrowly but faces strong opposition in the Senate, prolonging the stalemate. 
The deadlock has had tangible consequences across the country. Tens of thousands of DHS employees, particularly Transportation Security Administration workers, have gone without pay for weeks, leading to staffing shortages, airport delays, and mounting pressure on the administration to act. 
President Trump has attempted to mitigate the fallout by signing an emergency order to ensure TSA agents receive pay, which Homan later <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/29/us-news/tom-homan-reveals-when-tsa-will-start-getting-paid-again-following-trumps-executive-order/?">said</a> during the interview “There is a plan to get these TSA agents paid, hopefully by tomorrow or Tuesday,” but many other DHS functions remain affected as lawmakers continue to clash over immigration policy and enforcement reforms. 
Democrats have insisted that any long-term funding deal must include new restrictions or oversight on ICE operations, while Republicans argue that such demands amount to undermining existing law enforcement authority, mirroring the criticism Homan leveled in his interview.
Homan framed the dispute as a fundamental separation-of-powers issue, arguing that Congress should change the law if it disagrees with enforcement outcomes.
“If they don’t like what ICE is doing, then change the law,” he said. “That’s their job.”
As negotiations continue, the standoff underscores a broader clash in Washington over immigration enforcement, one that is increasingly spilling into funding battles with real consequences for federal agencies and the everyday Americans they employ.

Tom Homan Torches Congress As DHS Fight Hits Boiling Point

State of the Union

WASHINGTON—If you&#8217;re looking for Bernie Sanders, you won&#8217;t find him here.
Vermont&#8217;s socialist senator was <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2026/03/27/sen-bernie-sanders-catches-first-class-flight-after-funding-bill-fails/?adid=social-tw">spotted</a> in first class on a 2:49 p.m. flight out of Reagan National Airport Friday afternoon — minutes after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) vowed to reject the partial Department of Homeland Security funding bill Sanders and his colleagues in the upper chamber had passed around 2:00 a.m.
About an hour after Sanders&#8217;s flight took off, President Donald Trump entered the fray on Johnson&#8217;s side, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-kills-senate-bill-to-re-open-dhs-without-ice-funding?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Trump+Kills+Senate+Bill+To+Re-Open+DHS+Without+ICE+Funding">saying</a> the Senate bill — which carved ICE and Border Patrol out of DHS funding — &#8220;wasn&#8217;t appropriate.&#8221; Emboldened by the president, the House late Friday night rejected the Senate&#8217;s bill, instead passing a separate measure that would fund the entire Department of Homeland Security for 60 days.
What happens next is unclear, as Sanders wasn&#8217;t the only senator to skip town after the final vote. The Senate adjourned Friday for a two-week recess, and has no plans to reconvene before its planned April 13 return. As of Saturday morning, the partial shutdown of DHS has become the longest funding lapse in American history, surpassing 2025&#8217;s record-breaking government shutdown.
Sanders&#8217;s first-class escape makes him the latest lawmaker to be dinged for aerial hypocrisy amid the ongoing shutdown. As Americans waited up to four hours in TSA lines, members of Congress were often able to skip the lines entirely, making use of a perk exclusive to lawmakers. Delta Air Lines earned praise for suspending its special &#8220;congressional desk,&#8221; but as The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/did-delta-stop-vip-treatment-for-congress-its-complicated?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Did+Delta+Stop+VIP+Treatment+For+Congress%3F+It%E2%80%99s+Complicated.">reported</a>, lawmakers were still able to skip the security lines.
About 20 minutes before his flight departed, <a href="https://x.com/BernieSanders/status/2037594741273989383?s=20">Sanders took to X</a> to slam Elon Musk and &#8220;the wealthiest people in the world&#8221; for their views on AI. The senator is often criticized for railing against the wealthy, considering he himself is a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bloomberg-nails-socialist-bernie-youre-a-millionaire-with-3-houses">millionaire</a> who owns three homes.
On Saturday, Sanders will attend a &#8220;No Kings&#8221; rally in St. Paul, Minnesota — an event organized to protest Trump, an elected official.

Untitled design – 2026-03-28T100612.158

See How Bernie Sanders Bails On DHS Fight In Rules For Thee Not For Me Move

Airports

Bernie Sanders

Senate

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he would sign an order directing the Department of Homeland Security to pay the Transportation Safety Administration despite the ongoing partial government shutdown.
Trump blamed Democrats in the Senate for showing more concern for illegal aliens than for the American people and continuing to block funding for DHS.
&#8220;The Radical Left Democrats, and their &#8216;Leader,&#8217; Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, have made it very clear where they stand, and that is, ON THE SIDE OF CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS, AND NOT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE,&#8221; Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. &#8220;They are refusing to fund Immigration Enforcement unless the Republicans agree to their Open Border Policies, which will never, ever happen again.&#8221;
The president went on to attack Democrats for allowing millions of illegals to enter the United States unvetted during previous administrations: &#8220;They almost destroyed our Country, allowing 25 Million People to enter from Prisons, Mental Institutions, and Insane Asylums, those that are Drug Dealers, and thousands of Murderers, many of whom killed more than one person.&#8221;
Trump concluded with his plan to solve the problem: and executive order that would direct newly-sworn-in Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to pay TSA agents immediately.
&#8220;Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis, I am using my authorities under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always will do!&#8221; he explained. &#8220;Therefore, I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports. It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it! I want to thank our hardworking TSA Agents and also, ICE, for the incredible help they have given us at the Airports. I will not allow the Radical Left Democrats to hold our Country hostage any longer.&#8221;
Democrats have repeatedly voted against funding for DHS, demanding reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) before they will sign off on the package. Among their demands are judicial warrants for immigration enforcement actions and a ban on masks for federal immigration agents. The resulting partial government shutdown has impacted pay for the TSA in addition to the U.S. Coast Guard and several others agencies.

President Trump Attends Swearing In Ceremony For New DHS Secretary Mullin

Trump Steps In On TSA Pay, Warns Dems Cannot ‘Hold Our Country Hostage’

Trump Steps In On TSA Pay, Warns Dems Cannot 'Hold Our Country Hostage'

Chuck Schumer

Donald Trump

If you were told that in the year 2026, elected Democrats in Congress would get away with prolonging the longest partial shutdown in history — all to protect illegal aliens — would you believe it? You should, because it’s happening.
Forty days in, and Democrats are holding the entire Department of Homeland Security hostage over a tiny fraction, 8.5 percent, of the agency. Not the TSA. Not FEMA. Not the Coast Guard. Just ICE — and apparently, that’s worth burning the whole thing down. 
 
Following the Minnesota shootings, Democrats have entered another frenzy to abolish, this time targeting ICE officers instead of police. Because “abolish cops” and demonizing a whole group of people whose job is to protect us went so well the first time. They want masks off —despite forcing them on everyone and their grandmother during Covid. Identification shown — despite their open hostility to requiring ID at the ballot box. And operations paused, unless ICE can navigate numerous legal hurdles to get judicial warrants. 
 
All nonstarters for Republicans. So the shutdown drags on. 
 
Democrats are standing ten toes down on defunding ICE — and by extension, all of DHS — while Republicans and the American people plead with them to at least vote to fund TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard, and Cyber Security Intelligence. One would think these are reasonable requests, given that we are at war with the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. But common sense left the building a long time ago. 
 
The consequences are not abstract. Yesterday on Capitol Hill, the directors of FEMA, TSA, and CISA testified about the devastating impacts this shutdown is having on their institutions. TSA: &#8220;We are really concerned about our security.&#8221; Think about that — the people responsible for keeping bombs off planes are telling Congress they’re scared. CISA: “The threat environment is too dynamic to allow this shutdown to continue.” And FEMA: “We are crippling our disaster response.” Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill put a number to it: over 480 Transportation Security Officers already gone, with airports running at 40-50% staff capacity, because officers simply cannot afford to show up. 
Democrats did that. They own every single minute of it.
Luckily for Republicans, when political leverage fails, public animosity tends to move the needle. And right now, the public is not happy. TSA lines are seeing historic wait times, and Americans are on edge as terrorism threatens to run amok. And little girls are being <a href="https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/sheridan-gorman-loyola-killing-venezuelan-court">killed</a> on Chicago streets by the very people Democrats are going to the mat to defend. 
 
To make problems worse for the “party of love and tolerance,” and in direct contradiction to the Democrats&#8217; broken record narrative, Americans are now seeing ICE agents as they shuffle through these historically long airport lines, not arresting and kidnapping! people, but <a href="https://x.com/realDailyWire/status/2036502819000160539">handing out water bottles and shaking hands</a> with the citizens they work to protect. 
 
The flame is burning at both ends for the Left: they’re defending illegal criminals at the expense of Americans, while ICE gets a PR boost for dissolving an airport bottleneck that Democrats created. ICE deployed to Atlanta, Chicago, and Houston has drastically improved security wait times — and more importantly, Americans are meeting these officers in the flesh, share a laugh, and realize that maybe they aren’t the Gestapo after all. 
 
While Democrats are busy mourning the fact that ICE is finally getting good press — press they manufactured —  Sheridan Gorman&#8217;s family in Chicago is planning her funeral, a tragedy Democrats manufactured. 
 
If the very agency Democrats have tried to dehumanize, defund, and destroy were simply allowed to do their job, a young girl would still be walking the earth. Last weekend, Sheridan Gorman was shot in the head and killed by an illegal alien who was protected from ICE and released from prison because of Democrat sanctuary policies. This horrific tragedy, and the adjacent horrors like it, never seem to be enough to get Democrats to budge. They will keep the entire Department of Homeland Security defunded despite American loss. 
 
What will bring them to the negotiating table, apparently, is a streak of good PR for ICE. They can’t have that going on. 
 
It’s a sad day when the killing of a teenage girl at the hands of an illegal alien can’t get Democrats to do their jobs — but footage of ICE agents smiling in an airport might.

Trump Sends ICE Agents To Airports As DHS Remains Unfunded

The Shutdown Is Democrats’ Gift To ICE

Democratic senators and the TSA agents they&#8217;re refusing to fund have one thing in common: Neither are showing up for work. There is also one key difference between the two: TSA agents haven’t been paid since February, while Democrat senators are still collecting their $175,000 salaries.  
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) was forced to adjourn a meeting after not one of the sitting Democratic senators on the committee showed up. Senate committees require a quorum to proceed, meaning that at least one member of the minority party must be present to conduct business.  
“I want to thank the Republican members of this committee for showing up to work today, and I look forward to the time when the Democrats do the same,” Cruz said, and proceeded to adjourn the meeting.
At the time, the committee was addressing bipartisan bills such as the Alex Gate Safety Act — which would establish a new safety standard after seven-year-old Alex Quanbeck was crushed by a schoolyard gate — and the Stop The Scroll Act, which mandates social media platforms to display a mental health warning to children using the platform. Twenty-four of the twenty-eight members of the Committee had co-sponsored the legislation on Wednesday’s schedule. 
Ranking minority member Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) put out a statement attributing her absenteeism to a procedural disagreement. “Committees can only function when members have a voice and their amendments are fairly considered,” she said. “This committee has never done what the majority tried to do today. The committee has to allow amendment votes as we did with Senators Lee and Cruz when they proposed hundreds of amendments when they were in the minority.” 
A Democratic committee spokesperson added context to Cantwell&#8217;s statement, saying, &#8220;At the last minute, we learned that Chair Cruz planned to roll all democratic amendments on all bills into one en bloc vote.&#8221; The change in procedure means all the amendments would be voted on all at once instead of individually.
The spokesperson told The Daily Wire this would prevent members from offering and debating amendments separately and that if normal procedures were followed, she and other Democrats would have attended to work on the legislation.
Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), another member of the committee, voiced concern that no-shows could become a pattern. “I fear that this is going to spread like a cancer around the senate and we’ll see additional committees suffer the same fate as the Commerce Committee did today.” 
Lummis told The Daily Wire, “In case my Democrat colleagues need a reminder, the American people pay their salaries.” She added, “Today’s display of shameful — and quite frankly childish — behavior by Senate Democrats is an embarrassment. While my colleagues refuse to fund the Department of Homeland Security and force thousands of employees to work without pay, they cannot be bothered to show up for the job they were elected to do. The American people deserve better, and should be justifiably outraged.”
Tensions between the parties remain elevated as Congress works to reach a funding deal to end the partial government shutdown, which has left the Department of Homeland Security unfunded since February. Republican lawmakers want to fund DHS as it currently operates, while Democrats are pushing for reforms as a condition of funding. Those proposed reforms include requiring judicial warrants for immigration enforcement activities rather than relying on administrative warrants, which are currently signed by ICE officials rather than judges. Newly sworn-in DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has indicated support for some reforms, but not all of those on the Democratic wish-list.
Democrats have also called for ICE officers to stop wearing masks during operations and to avoid conducting enforcement activities near &#8220;<a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/democrats-to-demand-ice-reforms-from-white-house-in-dhs-funding-counter/">sensitive</a>&#8221; locations.

Empty_Congress_Money_TSA

Paid Democrats And Unpaid TSA Agents Have One Thing In Common

Despite warnings from Democratic lawmakers that deploying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to airports could lead to violence, travelers waiting in hours-long lines at Houston&#8217;s George Bush Intercontinental Airport appeared to welcome their presence on Tuesday.
At the airport, smiling ICE officers were seen handing out water bottles, offering to hold travelers&#8217; places in line for bathroom breaks, and providing some comedic relief, The Daily Wire observed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Contrary to the narrative in corporate media, many travelers at Houston’s IAH airport appear to be welcoming ICE’s presence—officers are handing out water and even holding spots in line so people can take bathroom breaks. <a href="https://t.co/Z2AzY0zW0B">pic.twitter.com/Z2AzY0zW0B</a>
— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) <a href="https://twitter.com/JennieSTaer/status/2036471897748025698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
President Donald Trump announced Sunday that ICE would be deployed to some airports to assist staffing shortages affecting the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) during the ongoing partial government shutdown.
More than 3,450 TSA officers, roughly 11.76% of the force, called out of work Sunday, <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/travel/precheck-clear-airport-wait-times/#:~:text=TSA%20staffing%20shortages%20hit%20major,an%20impasse%20over%20DHS%20funding." target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to NewsNation. At George Bush Airport in Houston, the absentee rate reached approximately 36%, Fox News reported. Additionally, more than 450 TSA officers have quit since the shutdown began in mid-February.
Several Democratic lawmakers had suggested that ICE would escalate tensions at America&#8217;s airports. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) <a href="https://x.com/SenBlumenthal/status/2035754555963568626?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> ICE agents would &#8220;only aggravate delays &amp; lines — disrupting checks, interrogating travelers, dragging parents from children, detaining citizens, brutalizing families, shooting &amp; even killing.&#8221; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5795350-jeffries-criticizes-trump-ice-tsa-airports/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the &#8220;untrained ICE agents&#8221; could &#8220;potentially &#8230; brutalize or in some instances&#8221; kill American travelers.
A video that circulated online appeared to show ICE officers tackling a woman at San Francisco International Airport, prompting additional criticism. But Trump did not deploy ICE to that airport, and the Department of Homeland Security said the footage was dated. It involved a Guatemalan family with an outstanding deportation order from 2019.
At Bush Airport, however, The Daily Wire observed that the interactions between ICE agents and passengers were largely positive, with some shaking hands and expressing appreciation as they waited in long screening lines.
Some travelers said they expected to miss their flights, while others were attempting to travel again after being unable to get through security the previous day.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Houston traveler shakes an ICE officer’s hand and thanks him for his service. <a href="https://t.co/kk1DyKwS2X">pic.twitter.com/kk1DyKwS2X</a>
— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) March 24, 2026</blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In response to The Daily Wire&#8217;s footage of the friendly ICE airport scenes, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) wrote on X that &#8220;Democrats want you to believe that ICE officers are monsters,&#8221; adding, &#8220;But in reality, they stepped up when Democrats wouldn’t do THEIR job and pay TSA Agents.&#8221;
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) called out the &#8220;radicals on the left&#8221; who have &#8220;demonized&#8221; ICE, saying, &#8220;the truth is they are hard-working Americans doing a job like you and me.&#8221;
ICE deployed to more than a dozen airports starting Monday, according to Reuters.
It appears they were only met with anti-ICE demonstrators at Atlanta&#8217;s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where roughly 60 protesters shouted &#8220;ICE OUT&#8221; and &#8220;TRUMP PAY TSA WORKERS NOW,&#8221; <a href="https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/protestors-gather-outside-atlanta-airport-over-ice-deployment">according</a> to Fox5 Atlanta.

Untitled design – 2026-03-24T201819.628

Reality Vs. Political Narrative: Daily Wire Goes To The Front Lines Of ICE At Airports

Border czar Tom Homan detailed the plan to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to U.S. airports beginning on Monday to aid TSA workers in the wake of the ongoing DHS shutdown.
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday with host Dana Bash, Homan first explained that he is working with the administrator of TSA and the director of ICE to develop a game plan.
“First of all, are ICE agents even remotely trained to handle security at airports?” Bash asked, to which Homan replied that ICE already operates at airports, and this new wave of agents would be helping in mostly non-specialized security-related areas.
“[We’ve] got TSA agents covering exits — you know, people that enter through the exits. Certainly a highly-trained ICE law enforcement officer can cover an exit, make sure people don&#8217;t … enter the airport through the exits, and stuff like that relieves that TSA officer to go to screening and to reduce those lines,” Homan said. “So, wherever we can provide extra security.”
The border czar went on to note that he doesn’t foresee ICE agents manning X-ray machines because they’re not trained to do so. However, agents can be utilized in broad security roles allowing TSA workers to focus on specialized passenger screening jobs.
Bash pressed Homan on the exact roles ICE agents would fill, but Homan noted that discussions are “a work in progress” and will be finalized by the end of the day Sunday.
“Are there specific airports that you&#8217;re thinking about starting with, and how many ICE agents are you considering deploying to do this?” Bash asked.
While discussions are ongoing, Homan said, he believes airports experiencing the longest TSA wait times should be the priority.
Bash pressed Homan on timing: “With respect, if you&#8217;re doing this in 24 hours, how well thought out could it possibly be again?”
Homan hit back: “How much of a plan does it mean to guard an exit to make sure no one comes through that exit?”
“And we were talking about security options, and these officers are well trained in security, and they&#8217;re well trained in identification, and we&#8217;re going to do what we can to help TSA move those people to the line,” the border czar added.
Bash attempted to catch Homan at the end of the segment, asking him: “Is it just going to be crowd control, or will ICE officers also be doing immigration enforcement while they are at the airport?”
“We do immigration enforcement at airports all the time,” Homan replied. “So it&#8217;s not going to change. This is about helping the men and women with TSA. They&#8217;ve lost several hundred employees; the lines are really slow because the shutdown. This is about going to helping TSA do their mission and get the American public through that airport as quick as they can while adhering to all the security guidelines and the protocols.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEWS: White House Border Czar Tom Homan confirms President Trump will send ICE agents into airports across the country tomorrow. &#8220;We&#8217;ll have a plan by the end of today what airports we&#8217;re starting with and where we&#8217;re sending them,&#8221; Homan tells <a href="https://twitter.com/DanaBashCNN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DanaBashCNN</a>. <a href="https://t.co/Ue2VNlpKw6">pic.twitter.com/Ue2VNlpKw6</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2035707177583747455?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Department of Homeland Security shutdown has been ongoing since February 14, leaving TSA agents — as well as FEMA and the Coast Guard — without pay. As a result, over 300 TSA agents have quit and lines at major airports across the country have begun to extend dramatically.
On Friday, the <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/tsa-wait-times-update-airports-delays-friday-11709401">wait</a> at Atlanta&#8217;s Hartsfield-Jackson — the busiest airport in the United States — surged beyond two hours during the morning travel rush, and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, saw 90-minute wait times with one checkpoint closed altogether. Shocking videos circulating on social media have shown lines stretching significantly longer in recent days as the shutdown drags on.
President Trump recently blasted Democrats on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116268396341038197">Truth Social</a> over the shutdown: “What they have done to the Department of Homeland Security, our fantastic TSA Officers, and, most importantly, the great people of our Country, is an absolute disgrace. If the Democrats do not allow for Just and Proper Security at our Airports, and elsewhere throughout our Country, ICE will do the job far better than ever done before! The Fascist Democrats will never protect America, but the Republicans will.”

Menu