The partial government shutdown has entered its 25th day as over 50,000 airport employees manage the spring break travel season without pay while the conflict in Iran escalates.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is calling on lawmakers to end what it calls the “Democrat shutdown” of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as airport security lines spill outside into parking lots and terrorism threats to the U.S. increase. President Donald Trump slammed Democrats Monday night for not funding DHS — of which the TSA is an agency — and accused them of “deliberately sabotaging our national security,” following reports that Iran activated terrorist sleeper cells in the United States.
“This chaos is a direct result of Democrats and their refusal to fund DHS. Stop holding our national security and everyday Americans hostage!” TSA’s X account posted Monday.
“Enough is enough,” TSA posted to X on Sunday. “The Democrat shutdown of DHS must end!”
The partial shutdown marks the third time TSA agents are working without pay in nearly six months, according to the White House. Airports from Houston to Tampa to New Orleans are facing security checkpoint lines with waiting times as long as three hours.
DHS funding lapsed Feb. 13 after lawmakers in the upper chamber failed to reach a deal on sweeping immigration reforms. Despite Democrats’ efforts to implement reforms, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is still fully funded through Trump’s signature legislative accomplishment, the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).
Republican Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, who is overseeing negotiations with the White House and Senate Democrats on behalf of Senate Republicans, highlighted the financial stress the shutdowns place on vital workers.
“So you have people like a TSA officer who went without pay for 43 days in the previous Democrat-led shutdown, and here they go once again. The financial insecurity that comes from that is tremendous,” she said in early March. “We heard reports of officers sleeping in their cars at airports to save money on gas, selling their blood and plasma and taking on a second job to make ends meet. Some are just recovering from the financial impact of the 43-day shutdown and many are still reeling from it.”
Also in the third week of the partial shutdown, U.S. intelligence reportedly intercepted Iranian communications to activate sleeper cells, sparking outrage among Republicans on Capitol Hill. Democrats threaten to extend their funding halt of the department unless Trump ceases military operations in the Middle East.
In addition to impacts TSA, the partial shutdown cut off resources from the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA), federal law enforcement officers and the U.S. Coast Guard, bringing the tally of unpaid workers to over 100,000.
Just one-third of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) staff are on the job amid the shutdown, according to CISA Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala. The employee shortage significantly impairs “cyber security response, security assessments, stakeholder engagements, training exercises and event planning.”
Gottumukkala told House appropriators in February the Iranian regime also uses cyberattacks and has previously targeted American water treatment facilities, energy infrastructure and hospital networks.
The U.S. is also preparing to host both the FIFA World Cup in Los Angeles this June and the America 250 celebration in Washington D.C. as FEMA grants face further delays for host cities.
“The FIFA World Cup designated Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) 1 and 2 events will take place across multiple cities in just a few months. Finally, critical preparations are already underway for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” DHS Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said in February. “This critical work will continue during a shutdown, in many cases, on the backs of our greatest resource – the men and women of the Secret Service.”
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