NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Former DHS Secretary Chad Wolf has warned that the prolonged shutdown has left unpaid workers “disturbed” as terrorism threats increase, potentially putting national security at greater risk.
“You don’t want them to be distracted,” he said Sunday on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
“That is human nature you’re going to worry about where that salary is going to be cut, how you’re going to pay the bills… And we need our DHS men and women… to focus on their job at hand, whether you’re at the airport or the Coast Guard or a woman who works in national security, or you’re doing immigration enforcement, and spying on people in countries, said Wolf.
Wolff’s comments come as a partial government shutdown drags on for another week, leaving 100,000 DHS employees, including 50,000 TSA agents, working without pay.
CORNYN CONTACTS REP GREG CASAR CONTINUES TO HOT AIRPORT OVER DHS SHUTDOWN
A TSA agent works at a security checkpoint as travelers wait at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, on Nov. 7, 2025. (Ronaldo Schemidt / AFP via Getty Images)
Funding shortages have begun to hamper airport operations, with travelers reporting long security lines at major facilities and officials warning that the situation could worsen if tensions continue.
At the same time, many experts fear that the threat environment remains high, especially as conflicts escalate in the Middle East and recent terrorist-related incidents raise concerns about possible attacks on US soil.
Amid the growing crisis, President Donald Trump said Sunday he would send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to airports to assist TSA officials.
RELATED: HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO HOLD HEARING ON RISKS CLOSED AT DHS AMID TRIP
The Department of Homeland Security has faced a funding shortfall as Washington battles a spending agreement, leaving thousands of workers without pay. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
“On Monday, ICE will go to the airports to help our amazing TSA Agents quit their jobs even though Radical Left Democrats, who are only focused on protecting criminals who entered our country illegally, are putting the USA at risk by withholding money that was agreed upon long ago with contracts signed and sealed, and all,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Wolff told Fox News that the end of security comes at a very dangerous time, and recent events highlight the need for greater vigilance.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
“We had four incidents last month, possibly terrorism in many of those cases, against Americans,” he said. “So we need… all our officials at the Department of Homeland Security and staff to focus on their work.”
