Fight over DHS funding spurs partial shutdown
By: Zach Wichter
and Zachary Schermele
USA Today
..... Congress failed to reach an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security by the deadline [at midnight February 13, [2026] spurring a partial shutdown of several agencies that play a role in border security, disaster response and travel.
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The stalemate centered on immigration enforcement. Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in the Senate and Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries in the House, have been pushing for tighter warrant requirements on Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and a ban on officers wearing masks.
..... Senate Republicans have said there is little room for compromise.
..... Congress gave a surplus of funding to ICE in 2025, so that agency can continue operating. Some of the agencies affected by the Partial shutdown include Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transpiration Security Administration and the Coast Guard.
..... The standoff revives memories of the 43-day shutdown in 2025 - the longest in U.S. history - when thousands of transportation and security workers were required to work without pay. During that shutdown, airlines were ordered to reduce flight schedules by up to 10% at dozens of major airports after air traffic controllers, missing multiple paychecks, began calling out sick in large numbers.
..... That extraordinary measure was taken as the air traffic system grew increasingly strained, underscoring how quickly shutdowns can ripple through the travel industry.
..... The risk for travel disruptions increases the loner a shutdown lasts.
..... Federal Aviation Administration and TSA employees who perform essential safety and security functions continue working during a shutdown. However, prolonged lapses in funding can lead to staffing shortages as workers struggle to mange financially.
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During this partial government shutdown, FAA funding is not affected, but TSA funding is beaus the TSA is a branch of the DHS.
..... "DHS essential missions and functions will continue as they do during every shutdown. However, during a shutdown, many employees will be forced to work without pay, putting strain on the front-line defenders of our nation," the agency said in a statement.
..... Before the partial shutdown stated, acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill warned lawmakers that if the DHS funding lapses, roughly 61,000 TSA workers at more than 430 commercial airports would be required to keep working without pay.
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Ruing the 2025 shutdown, TSA officers slept in their cars, received eviction notices, lost child care services and sold blood or plasma to make ends meet, McNeill said.
..... "Some are just recovering from the financial impact of the 43-day shutdown," she told lawmakers.
..... TSA has warned that extended shutdown can lead to longer airport security lines as absenteeism increases.
..... The Coast Guard, which also falls under DHS, issued a similar warning.
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Vice Armorial Thomas Allan, the acting vice commandant, told lawmakers that a funding lapse lasting more than a few days would halt pay for roughly 56,000 active-duty, reserve and civilian personnel. The agency would be forced to suspend all but the most critical national security and life-saving missions.
..... Contributing: Lori Comstock, USA Today Network