DHS Shutdown: Airline CEOs Join Push to Fund TSA and Aviation Security as Schiff and Booker Defend Partial-Funding Strategy
Major airline CEOs urged Congress to end the DHS shutdown and pass measures guaranteeing pay for TSA, air-traffic controllers and other aviation workers, warning of hours‑long checkpoint delays as tens of thousands of TSOs work without pay — with more than 300 quitting and unscheduled absences rising. Senate Democrats led by Adam Schiff, Cory Booker and Patty Murray defended a piecemeal approach to fund TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard and other non‑immigration DHS components while withholding ICE and CBP funding pending reforms (including mask bans, warrant limits and visible ID), a strategy Republicans have repeatedly blocked amid ongoing floor votes and heightened security concerns.
📌 Key Facts
- The DHS funding lapse began Feb. 14 and as the shutdown enters its second month roughly 50,000 TSA employees are working without pay; many missed their first full paycheck, more than 300 TSA officers have left the agency, and unscheduled absences/sick calls have roughly doubled (callouts averaging about 6%).
- Airports are experiencing major operational strain: long security lines and checkpoint disruptions have been reported nationwide (examples include Atlanta ~40 minutes, Dallas–Fort Worth 0–10 minutes, JFK about 2 hours, and Houston/William P. Hobby and New Orleans up to three hours), with some checkpoints temporarily closed and officers flown in to cover gaps.
- Front‑line impacts on TSA workers include taking second jobs, facing eviction or sleeping in cars, inability to afford gas, and reliance on community support; multiple airports (Denver, Seattle‑Tacoma, Reno‑Tahoe, Las Vegas Harry Reid, Burlington and others) have opened food pantries or solicited grocery and gas gift cards for unpaid staff.
- Senate Democrats (led by Schumer, Murray and others) have pushed piecemeal appropriations to immediately fund TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard, CISA and other non‑immigration DHS components while carving out ICE and CBP until reforms are agreed; Republicans have blocked those measures and insist on a full‑agency funding bill, producing repeated Senate votes and failed cloture on short extensions.
- Democrats’ proposed ICE reforms include banning masks for agents, ending roaming patrols, requiring judicial warrants for entering private property, requiring visible identification and body cameras, and aligning ICE/CBP practices with state and local standards — demands driven in part by recent fatal encounters (including two Minneapolis deaths) and broader accountability concerns.
- Republican leaders and some Senate Republicans warn the funding lapse creates real public‑safety and counterterrorism risks — citing recent shootings and alleged sleeper‑cell threats — while Democrats argue they are refusing to use TSA and travelers as 'hostages' and say they have repeatedly offered to fund non‑immigration DHS components separately.
- Major airline CEOs (American, United, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Alaska Air Group, Atlas Air, UPS, FedEx and others) issued a joint letter urging an end to the shutdown, backing bipartisan proposals to guarantee pay for aviation workers during shutdowns (citing bills like the Aviation Funding Solvency Act, Aviation Funding Stability Act and Keep America Flying Act), warning of multi‑hour delays as carriers brace for a projected 171 million spring passengers and noting strain tied to global fuel and security pressures.
- Other fiscal impacts include FEMA projecting its Disaster Relief Fund could fall from about $5.9 billion at the end of February to roughly $2.1 billion by the end of March and risk running out before April; ICE is partially insulated from the shutdown because of prior large appropriations, shifting more immediate budgetary strain onto FEMA and other DHS components.
📊 Relevant Data
In a February 2026 Marist Poll, 33% of Americans approve of the actions of ICE, while 57% disapprove, with disapproval at 91% among Democrats and 66% among independents.
The Actions of ICE, February 2026 — Marist Poll
According to a December 2025 PRRI survey, about 32% of Hispanic Americans approve of the job the Trump administration is doing handling immigration.
Hispanic Americans' Divergent Views of the Trump Administration — PRRI
A 2026 study found that reducing unauthorized immigration by 50% would increase real wages of U.S.-born workers by only 0.15% nationally in the short run.
New Research Finds Reducing Immigration Does Not Help U.S. Workers — Forbes
Nearly 30% of ICE agents and about 50% of Border Patrol agents in the U.S. are Latino, based on 2020 data.
New Study Explores Why US Latinos Join ICE and Border Patrol — Latino Rebels
📊 Analysis & Commentary (3)
What Tom Homan does next
"A Playbook dispatch argues that Tom Homan is proactively courting incoming DHS leader Markwayne Mullin to avoid being sidelined like he was under Kristi Noem, positioning himself to shape tougher interior‑enforcement policy — but warns Mullin’s confirmation and any shift will play out amid a punishing DHS shutdown and internal friction that could limit or complicate those ambitions."
DAVID MARCUS: Craven politics is the only excuse left for Dems refusing to fund DHS
"A Fox News opinion piece criticizes Senate and House Democratic leaders for politically blocking DHS funding despite concessions and national‑security risks, arguing the remaining objections are minor and the shutdown endangers TSA agents and public safety."
Put Chuck Schumer on TSA Duty
"A WSJ editorial blames Senate Democrats — singling out Chuck Schumer — for the monthlong DHS funding lapse that left TSA workers unpaid and produced severe airport security delays, urging accountability (even symbolically putting Schumer on TSA duty) and an immediate funding resolution."
📰 Source Timeline (19)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 15, 2026
9:48 PM
Airline CEOs call on Congress to fund DHS amid travel nightmares
New information:
- CEOs of United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and other major U.S. carriers sent a joint letter to Congress on Sunday urging an end to the DHS shutdown and calling unpaid TSA work 'simply unacceptable.'
- The CEOs explicitly back 'bipartisan proposals' to ensure federal aviation workers — TSA officers, U.S. Customs clearance officers at airports and air traffic controllers — are paid during shutdowns.
- Air travelers are already facing hours-long lines, with William P. Hobby Airport in Houston reporting wait times of up to three hours last week as airlines brace for a record 171 million spring break passengers.
- The article ties the funding lapse on February 14 to Democrats’ demands for reforms to ICE operations after the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis.
9:00 PM
Schiff, Booker deflect on shutdown blame amid terror concerns, thousands of DHS workers without pay
New information:
- Sen. Adam Schiff told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Democrats have repeatedly offered votes and resolutions to fund TSA, the Coast Guard, FEMA and other DHS agencies separately from ICE, and accused Republicans of voting those efforts down.
- Schiff argued Republicans control both chambers of Congress and the White House and therefore cannot credibly blame the Democratic minority for the DHS shutdown.
- Sen. Cory Booker told CNN’s “State of the Union” he would not approve “another dollar for ICE” because of what he called its reckless actions, but said Democrats support funding TSA, CISA and the Coast Guard and blamed Republicans for refusing to do so.
- Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also told CNN Republicans are blocking Democratic proposals to fund all of DHS except ICE and Customs and Border Protection, which he framed as the only parts that should remain under negotiation.
- Democrats, including Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, are quoted as saying they are “totally ready” to fund FEMA, TSA, the Coast Guard and other DHS elements while isolating the ICE dispute.
3:49 PM
Airline CEOs torch lawmakers for turning air travel into a ‘political football’
New information:
- Top executives from American, United, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Alaska Air Group, Atlas Air Worldwide, UPS and FedEx issued a joint open letter blasting Congress for using air travel as a 'political football' in the DHS shutdown.
- The CEOs say TSA officers have just received $0 paychecks and warn of checkpoint delays of two, three and even four hours as unpaid TSA, Customs officers and controllers struggle to keep up.
- They project a record 171 million passengers this spring and urge passage of the Aviation Funding Solvency Act, the Aviation Funding Stability Act and the Keep America Flying Act to guarantee pay for critical aviation workers during any shutdowns.
- They link the shutdown’s strain on aviation to the ongoing Iran war, noting jet fuel price spikes and rising concerns about domestic sleeper‑cell threats even as air‑travel demand surges.
March 14, 2026
12:52 PM
Dems continue to reject GOP efforts to fund ICE in DHS fight despite terror concerns: 'That's on them'
New information:
- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse explicitly states Democrats are "totally ready" to fund FEMA, TSA, the Coast Guard and other DHS components while insisting on an agreement about ICE behavior, accusing Republicans of "holding the rest of DHS hostage."
- Republican Sen. John Cornyn counters that ICE has already been funded through Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" and argues Democrats are only hurting the air‑traveling public by keeping TSA unfunded.
- The article lists some of the Democrats’ 10 operational reform demands on ICE funding, including a ban on masks for ICE agents, an end to roaming patrols, tougher warrant requirements and visible identification markings.
- Sen. Ed Markey characterizes ICE as a "corrupt agency" and says Trump has a responsibility to put safeguards in place after two civilians in Minnesota were killed in escalated confrontations with immigration enforcement.
- Sen. Chris Coons tells Fox News Digital Democrats have a "simple menu of fixes" meant to align ICE and CBP standards with state and local law enforcement, and that agreement on those standards is a prerequisite to moving ahead on ICE funding.
March 13, 2026
11:13 PM
Dem senators in the hot seat as Republicans rip their DHS vote amid terror threats: 'Under attack'
New information:
- Sen. Adam Schiff says he offered a unanimous‑consent request to fund FEMA alone during the DHS shutdown, which Republicans rejected.
- Sen. Katie Britt and GOP leadership argue that Democrats’ piecemeal approach (funding FEMA and TSA separately) is political theater that avoids the core ICE policy dispute.
- Sen. John Barrasso frames Democrats’ move as trying to "peel apart" DHS while "our homeland is under attack," explicitly linking the funding fight to Iran war–era sleeper‑cell and terror concerns.
- Article details specific Democratic ICE reform demands at issue: a no‑mask policy, end to roaming patrols, stricter warrant requirements for detentions, and more visible identification for ICE agents.
9:30 PM
Friday’s Mini-Report, 3.13.26
New information:
- The article specifies that roughly 50,000 TSA workers are working without pay during the DHS shutdown.
- Union representatives say screeners have taken second jobs with DoorDash, Uber and Lyft and that some are facing eviction notices and temporarily sleeping in their cars.
6:02 PM
TSA workers miss a full paycheck, while travelers keep paying airport security fees
New information:
- Confirms that as the DHS shutdown nears one month, many TSA officers received no money at all in their latest paycheck, missing their first full paycheck since funding lapsed on February 14.
- Highlights that airline passengers are still being charged the aviation security fee (the September 11 security fee) on every ticket, which normally underwrites part of TSA’s budget, even while TSA workers are unpaid.
- Quotes TSA union official Johnny Jones describing officers as panicking and unable to pay bills, and a veteran Atlanta officer saying some cannot afford gas to get to work and are taking second jobs.
- Details partisan blame: DHS publicly blamed long lines on Democrats on social media, while Democrats argue Republicans are also responsible and have blocked Democratic bills to fund TSA and other DHS components.
- Notes that Democrats are demanding changes to immigration enforcement practices after the fatal shooting of two American citizens in Minneapolis as a condition for approving DHS’s broader budget.
4:15 PM
Airport Security Workers to Miss Paycheck as Shutdown Drags On
New information:
- Specifies that many DHS employees, including TSA officers, are on track to miss a paycheck on Friday, marking a concrete financial milestone in the shutdown.
- Adds that more than 300 TSA officers have left the workforce since the shutdown began, directly tying attrition to the funding lapse.
- Names additional specific airports with significant delays — John F. Kennedy International Airport and William P. Hobby Airport in Houston — and reports unusually high absence rates among TSA workers.
- Details that ICE is largely insulated from the shutdown because of a prior appropriation of 'tens of billions of dollars' to support Trump’s mass detention and deportation agenda, shifting the burden of the shutdown onto other DHS components such as FEMA.
3:17 PM
‘Officers are at their wits’ end’: TSA workers brace for missed paychecks
New information:
- Roughly 50,000 TSA employees nationwide are currently working without pay due to the DHS shutdown.
- DHS reports that unscheduled absences among TSA officers have more than doubled since the shutdown began, and more than 300 TSA workers have left the agency entirely.
- Lines at JFK in New York have stretched to about two hours, and at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport more than 53% of TSA staff called out on at least one day, requiring TSA officers to be flown in from Dallas.
- Union leaders report that some screeners are taking second jobs with gig‑work companies like DoorDash, Uber and Lyft, while others face eviction notices and have slept in their cars.
- Several airports — including Denver, Seattle‑Tacoma, Las Vegas’ Harry Reid and Burlington in Vermont — have set up food pantries or are soliciting donated grocery and gas gift cards for unpaid TSA staff.
- Union officials on record say officers are "at their wits’ end" and accuse Congress of using TSA workers as "pawns" in a shutdown fight unrelated to aviation security.
12:41 PM
Republicans reject proposal to reopen much of DHS, including TSA
New information:
- Senate Republicans proposed a two‑week bill to reopen the entire Department of Homeland Security with no immigration enforcement reforms; the cloture vote failed 51–46, with Sen. John Fetterman as the only Democrat voting with Republicans.
- Sen. Patty Murray offered a Democratic proposal to immediately fund TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard, CISA, and other non‑immigration DHS branches separately while negotiations continue over ICE and CBP reforms; Republicans blocked it.
- Sen. Jacky Rosen followed with a narrowly tailored bill to fully fund TSA alone, which Senate Republicans also rejected, publicly characterizing any such measures as unacceptable 'piecemeal' approaches but offering no substantive explanation.
- The shutdown is now in its second month, with airports experiencing continuing security line backups as a direct consequence of the impasse.
12:00 PM
Two shootings intensify DHS standoff as GOP warns of rising terror threats
New information:
- Fox reports that on the same day Senate Democrats again blocked a full‑year DHS funding bill and multiple temporary funding attempts, an active‑shooter incident erupted at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, with the suspect killed in a shootout with police.
- The article notes a separate shooting at Old Dominion University in Virginia in which the suspect, previously imprisoned for supporting ISIS, allegedly killed one person and wounded two others.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune tells Fox that 'the consequences, impacts of not funding DHS are real' and calls Democrats' stance a 'dangerous game' where 'people are going to get hurt,' explicitly linking the shutdown to rising threat concerns.
- Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso accuses Democrats of trying to 'peel apart' DHS by funding it piece by piece and being 'so beholden and detached to the far-left component of this nation' that 'they don't care about everybody else.'
- The piece says Democrats spent the day pushing to fund DHS 'one piece at a time' and carve out Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) pending reforms, while Republicans insist on a full‑agency bill.
- Fox notes that, when asked whether the latest shootings would change his approach, Schumer did not immediately respond to questions about DHS but issued a statement condemning antisemitism and the Michigan synagogue attack.
March 12, 2026
9:10 PM
Airports set up donation drives for unpaid TSA officers during DHS funding crisis
New information:
- Fundraisers and donation drives for unpaid TSA officers have been launched at multiple U.S. airports, including Denver International, Reno-Tahoe International, and Seattle-Tacoma International.
- Denver International Airport is soliciting $10 and $20 grocery-store and gas gift cards (but not Visa gift cards), with specific drop-off locations in the Final Approach cell phone lot and Jeppesen Terminal.
- Reno-Tahoe International Airport has partnered with the nonprofit Children’s Cabinet to provide weekly groceries and other resources directly to affected TSA officers.
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has opened a food pantry for TSA staff and is collecting non-perishable food, hygiene items, and diapers at the SEA Conference Center between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- A TSA official confirms that more than 300 airport security officers have left TSA since the start of the DHS shutdown, and that unscheduled absences (callouts) have risen to an average of 6%.
7:29 PM
Dems vote to keep DHS closed despite airport chaos, Iranian sleeper cell threat
New information:
- Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, are now formally pushing piecemeal DHS appropriations bills to fund TSA, FEMA and other non‑immigration components while carving out ICE and CBP funding until reforms are agreed.
- Sen. Patty Murray confirms her bill would fund DHS without ICE and CBP, saying those enforcement arms were already funded in Trump’s 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' and will not get new money until Democrats secure reforms.
- Republican leaders John Barrasso, Katie Britt and John Thune publicly reject carve‑outs, accuse Democrats of trying to 'rip apart' DHS and 'stand with illegal immigrant criminals,' and say Democrats have repeatedly blocked two‑week DHS continuing‑resolution offers.
- Schumer frames the Democratic approach as avoiding using TSA workers and the flying public as 'hostages' while broader negotiations on ICE reforms continue, underscoring a strategic messaging split over who is responsible for airport chaos.
3:19 PM
Dad of 3 felt forced to quit TSA job amid shutdown: "Family has to come first"
New information:
- Profiles a specific TSA officer, Robert Echeverria, a nine‑year veteran at Salt Lake City International Airport and father of three, who felt forced to quit because he could no longer go without pay during the shutdown.
- Cites TSA statistics, obtained by CBS, that more than 300 TSA officers have quit since the shutdown began.
- Details that TSA officers are among the lowest‑paid federal workers, averaging $45,000–$55,000 per year, and are about to miss their first full paycheck of the shutdown.
- Reports that food pantries are opening at airports across the country for unpaid TSA workers, and that Denver International Airport is publicly soliciting $10–$20 grocery and gas gift cards for them.
- Provides concrete examples of the operational strain: sick calls among TSA officers have more than doubled; at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport, more than half of officers called out, producing three‑hour security waits; Philadelphia International Airport had to temporarily close one checkpoint due to staffing.
- Includes on‑the‑record warning from former TSA Administrator John Pistole that reduced staffing could create exploitable security vulnerabilities as 'bad guys' look for weaknesses.
- Notes that the Senate is expected to vote again Thursday on a DHS funding measure, linking the human‑interest story directly to the ongoing appropriations fight.
1:20 PM
Some TSA agents are quitting as the government shutdown over DHS funding drags on
New information:
- CBS reports that some TSA agents are actively quitting during the ongoing DHS funding shutdown rather than continuing to work unpaid.
- The report characterizes the situation as causing a 'massive staffing shortage' at U.S. airports, directly linking the shutdown to on-the-ground staffing gaps.
- The piece frames the attrition as significant enough to pose operational challenges for screening and airport throughput, beyond mere absenteeism.
11:40 AM
Senate to vote again on funding DHS as tempers flare over impasse
New information:
- The Senate will hold another vote Thursday on DHS funding as part of the ongoing shutdown standoff.
- Democrats are explicitly conditioning DHS funding on reforms that would ban immigration agents from entering private property without a judicial warrant, restrict agents from wearing masks, and require visible ID and body cameras.
- Republicans say Democrats refused a recent request to meet with the White House, while Democrats — including Chuck Schumer and Patty Murray — say they are in constant contact with the White House but won’t negotiate unless someone with real authority, not just adviser Stephen Miller, is at the table.
- Senate Democrats attempted unanimous consent to fund TSA, FEMA and the Coast Guard separately, which Republicans blocked; Republicans then tried a temporary extension of full DHS funding that Democrats blocked.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune claims the White House offer 'goes a lot farther' than Democrats realize, describing the situation as a 'one-sided negotiation' with Democrats unwilling to engage.
10:00 AM
Airport security strain during shutdown grows as unpaid TSA officers warn, ‘We’re hurting’
New information:
- TSA confirms that over 300 airport security officers have left the agency since the start of the DHS shutdown.
- TSA officials report callouts (unscheduled absences) have risen to an average of 6% during the shutdown.
- Named TSA officer Deondre White at Reagan National Airport describes working without a paycheck, relying on family for gas money, and says many colleagues lack such support.
- White emphasizes that many TSOs with families are struggling to cover basic expenses and feel "left out" and "not taken seriously" as they work without pay.
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is quoted blaming Democrats for the shutdown, saying it is "completely ridiculous" that Americans are suffering from partisan games.
March 11, 2026
9:42 PM
Airport lines grow longer — and Congress can’t even agree if DHS shutdown talks exist
New information:
- Confirms that after nearly a month of the DHS shutdown, lawmakers are publicly disputing whether real negotiations over funding and ICE reforms are even occurring.
- Details that Sen. Patty Murray tried to move a partial DHS funding bill on the Senate floor (excluding ICE, CBP and the secretary’s office) but was blocked by Sen. Katie Britt.
- Reports FEMA projections that its Disaster Relief Fund would drop from about $5.9 billion at the end of February to $2.1 billion at the end of March and run out before the end of April.
- Provides concrete TSA wait‑time snapshots: roughly 40 minutes at Atlanta’s main terminal, 0–10 minutes at Dallas–Fort Worth, and up to three‑hour waits over the weekend in Houston and New Orleans.
- Adds political context that Kristi Noem’s ouster as DHS secretary and Markwayne Mullin’s nomination have not shifted Democrats’ demands for structural ICE changes, with Schumer calling the agency’s problems ‘deep rot’ beyond one person.