Trending Now - Frustration Mounts as DHS Shutdown Impacts Airport Operations

WHO:

President Trump

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee's Homeland Security subpanel

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer

Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

WHAT:

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is in a partial shutdown that began on February 14th, 2026.

TSA agents are set to miss their first full paycheck during the shutdown.

Long security lines at airports have resulted from the shutdown, with waits exceeding three hours at some locations.

Democrats are blocking all funding for DHS until reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are agreed upon.

Democrats proposed funding for TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard, which was blocked by Republicans.

Republicans proposed a temporary funding measure for all of DHS, which was also blocked by Democrats.

WHERE:

Washington, D.C.

Airports across the United States, including Houston, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Chicago O'Hare.

WHEN:

The DHS shutdown began on February 14th, 2026.

The Senate is scheduled to vote again on Thursday, March 12th, 2026.

WHY:

The shutdown is a result of disagreements over immigration enforcement policies following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents in January 2026.

Democrats demand reforms to ICE and CBP as a condition for funding, while Republicans, backed by Trump, oppose these changes.

HOW:

Democrats are seeking to restrict immigration agents from wearing masks, require them to display identification, and mandate judicial warrants for entering private property.

The Senate has engaged in hours-long debates with both parties blocking each other's proposals for funding resolutions.

(UPDATED March 12, 2026 13:21 UTC)

Today, President Trump and several key Senate leaders, including Chuck Schumer and John Thune, are facing a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security that began on February 14, which has led to long security lines at airports across the country, with some travelers waiting over three hours. The shutdown is rooted in a standoff over immigration enforcement policies, following recent tragic incidents involving federal agents, with Democrats insisting on reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection before agreeing to any funding, while Republicans have proposed temporary funding measures that have been blocked. The Senate is set to vote again today on these funding proposals, as TSA agents prepare to miss their first full paycheck during this ongoing crisis.