Senators and White House officials are pressing toward an end to the Homeland Security shutdown, but as the talks churn, airport travelers say the disruptions keep worsening.
The push for an agreement gained speed Tuesday as long security lines snarled travel in cities including Houston, Atlanta, and the Baltimore/Washington area. Travelers were being told to arrive hours before flights as routine Department of Homeland Security funding had been halted in mid-February, leaving parts of the federal workforce operating under a shutdown timeline.
The effects have been most visible in the Transportation Security Administration system, where nearly 11% of TSA workers scheduled to report for duty Monday—more than 3,200 people—missed work, according to the Department of Homeland Security. AP reported that at least 458 TSA workers had quit since the shutdown began, and it cited TSA-reported impacts as the disruptions spread through major hubs.
Acting TSA administrator Ha McNeill told lawmakers that multiple airports were experiencing callout rates above 40%, according to prepared remarks she was to deliver Wednesday to the House Committee on Homeland Security. The remarks were also expected to describe how the shutdown has taken a personal toll on TSA workers, including that some are “running out of options to keep a roof over their head and put food on the table.”
The negotiations, however, run into a central political fault line over immigration enforcement. Democrats have said they will not fund the department without restraints on Trump’s immigration enforcement and mass deportation operations, after federal agents killed two citizens in Minneapolis, AP reported.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the urgency should not wait. “The time to end this is now,” Thune said, as senators raced for a path that could end the shutdown while still addressing broader disagreements over immigration policy.
Republican senators described the outline of a potential bargain after meeting with Trump late Monday at the White House, following what AP characterized as an abrupt shift in talks that accompanied the deployment of federal immigration officers at certain airport security checkpoints. The White House stressed that discussions were continuing Tuesday, and it said an agreement that separated funding for immigration enforcement while addressing Trump’s elections bill separately “seems to be acceptable,” according to AP.
AP reported that the proposal’s contours would fund most of Homeland Security but carve out one main part of ICE—its enforcement and removal operations. The plan would include funding for ICE officers to use body cameras and would cover Homeland Security Investigations as well as Customs and Border Protection, but it would not impose many of the restraints Democrats had sought, such as identifying requirements and other changes floated by the White House earlier in the talks.
Democrats criticized the proposal as insufficient, with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer saying, “We need strong, strong reforms and we need to rein in ICE.” Schumer’s position aligned with Democrats’ broader insistence that immigration enforcement should be restrained as part of any funding agreement, even as Republicans focused on restoring funding for other parts of the department.
As the disruption to airport operations continued, passengers reported inconsistent information and staffing problems. At the same time, AP reported that immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were seen in airport terminals, including at Philadelphia International Airport, where a protester was shown at one of the checkpoints holding a sign critical of ICE. In Houston, travelers described spending hours navigating security lines across multiple floors at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Behind the scenes, lawmakers also discussed how the deal might be shaped by other legislation. AP reported that efforts stalled at one point when Trump linked any agreement to his push to pass the SAVE America Act, a proof-of-citizenship and voter identification bill that had stalled in the Senate before the midterm elections. Some GOP senators pitched the president on tackling it in another legislative package.
At a White House event swearing in new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Trump indicated he was not satisfied with the direction of any potential deal. “I think any deal they make, I’m pretty much not happy with it,” Trump said, according to AP.
The standoff has also prompted personnel changes inside the department, with AP reporting that Trump ousted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem amid public outcry over immigration operations. Senators late Monday confirmed Mullin, one of their own, as Noem’s replacement.
The administration’s broader budget and policy posture continues to shape the negotiations. AP reported that ICE’s budget grew under a large tax bill last year in a way that has remained untouched by the shutdown, while routine annual funding of about $10 billion for ICE could be cut almost in half under the proposal—an element Democrats used to argue that the carve-out would still keep immigration enforcement in place.
At the same time, the practical challenge of keeping travelers moving has continued to drive pressure on lawmakers. As negotiations unfold, airlines have also adjusted operations in response to the shutdown. Delta Air Lines confirmed to AP that it was suspending specialty services for members of Congress during the shutdown, meaning those traveling with the carrier would be treated as other passengers based on their SkyMiles status.
AP reported that other changes tied to the department could still advance even if the funding deal remains incomplete—pointing to Mullin’s confirmation hearing statement that he supported a Democratic demand ensuring a judge signs off on warrants for immigration officers to search people’s homes, rather than relying only on administrative warrants issued by the department.
As senators and the White House continue to test whether they can split the funding of Homeland Security components from the dispute over ICE enforcement operations, the airport disruptions have kept tangible pressure on the negotiations—stretching security lines, escalating callouts, and heightening uncertainty for travelers heading into busy spring schedules.