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INTERMEDIATE: House Republicans are sounding the alarm about the cost of a long-term shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as funding suddenly continues.
The House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing next Wednesday examining the security risks and financial hardships many DHS employees are facing as a result of the shutdown, Fox News Digital said. Senior officials from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the US Coast Guard and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) – agencies overseen by DHS – are expected to testify about how the end of funding affects their operations and the well-being of their employees.
House Republicans have criticized almost all Democrats for withholding their support for the full annual DHS budget amid the high spring travel season and the increasingly dangerous environment amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. The door is still expected to be closed next week after Democrats vetoed the White House’s latest proposal on immigration enforcement reform, which Democrats have called for to end funding.
“In the midst of one of the busiest travel seasons and as we face heightened physical and cyber threats from the nation’s top sponsors of terrorism and other adversaries, it is deeply troubling that the primary mission of DHS continues to be undermined by the political gamesmanship of Democrats,” said Rep. Andrew Garbarino, RN.Y., in a statement. “Every day these shutdowns continue, they threaten the safety of the American people and create severe financial hardship for DHS frontline employees who work hard every day to protect the country.”
Andrew Garbarino, RN.Y., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, will hold a hearing next week on the closing of the Department of Homeland Security. (Photos by Anna Moneymaker/Getty; Aaron Schwartz/AFP via Getty Images)
TSA PAYS BILL INTRODUCED AS CLOSED LEAVES AGENCIES UNPAID, NEEDS AIRPORT SECURITY
The impact of the air travel shutdown has become a growing headache for Americans — 170 million of whom are expected to pass through the nation’s airports during spring travel this year.
More than 50,000 TSA workers have not received their paychecks during the long shutdown, leading some to quit or not come to work, according to the House Homeland Security Committee.
Among that group, moreover 360 TSA employees resigned during the 34-day temporary closure, and about 10% of agents did not report to work on Sunday, according to the TSA.
Passengers pass through a TSA security checkpoint as agents check in at Houston’s Bush International Airport. (Fox 26 Houston)
SOUTHERN SENATE DEADLY AT RISK DEM SUSPECT REPUBLICANS FOR TSA WORKERS NOT PAYING AFTER VEHICLING SUFFERING BILL.
These staffing issues have led to hours-long security lines at some of America’s largest travel hubs, although some airports still appear to process passengers quickly.
Lines at New York City’s JFK and LaGuardia airports were less than 20 minutes long Wednesday evening.
FEMA employees, 85% of whom have worked during the 2025 shutdown, are likely to report working the same amount without pay. FEMA leadership has warned that the agency may struggle to respond to a major disaster at the closure.
The hearing comes as Democrats are proposing legislation that would fund all DHS agencies that do not handle immigration enforcement. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., announced Wednesday that Democrats intend to force a vote on the measure through impeachment. The petition would have to secure a majority of GOP signatures to open a vote on the base bill.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, DN.Y., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, March 6, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
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Garbarino criticized the Democrats’ proposal in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“I hope our colleagues on the other side of the aisle realize that there is too much at stake to continue to block full funding for the department, and that any funding efforts simply fail to meet that deadline,” Garbarino said.
Senate Republicans have blocked similar legislation in the upper chamber, arguing that the entire DHS — including its immigration enforcement operations — should receive full annual funding.
