Congress left town while 61,000 TSA workers kept showing up without pay

DHS ran out of funding on Feb. 14

The Department of Homeland Security shut down at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14, after Congress failed to pass a funding bill.

DHS is now the only federal agency without money for the rest of fiscal year 2026, which runs through Sept. 30. The rest of the government, about 97%, is already funded.

This marks the third shutdown in recent months, following a record 43-day full shutdown last fall and a brief four-day partial shutdown in early February.

A deadly immigration dispute started it

Democrats refuse to fund DHS without new limits on federal immigration enforcement.

The standoff follows the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, by federal immigration agents during operations in Minneapolis in January.

Democrats laid out 10 demands, including body cameras for agents, a ban on face coverings, and a requirement for judicial warrants before arrests on private property.

Republicans call many of those demands excessive, saying they could put federal officers at risk.

Both parties point fingers over the impasse

President Trump called it a “Democrat shutdown,” saying some demands are “very, very hard to approve.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer fired back, saying Democrats will not write what he called a blank check.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said two weeks of talks failed to close the gap. The White House and Democrats traded proposals before the deadline, but neither side accepted the other’s offer.

Democrats sent a new counteroffer on Monday, Feb. 17, though details have not gone public.

Lawmakers left town before reaching a deal

Congress left Washington for a scheduled recess before the funding deadline hit. The Senate is not set to return until Feb. 23, one day before the State of the Union address.

Senate leaders told members to be ready to come back on 24 hours’ notice if a deal comes together. House Speaker Mike Johnson gave members a 48-hour window instead.

Neither side has shown clear signs of budging as the recess began.

Most TSA workers keep working, unpaid

About 95% of TSA’s workforce, roughly 61,000 employees, must keep working through the shutdown without pay. An estimated 2,933 employees out of about 64,130 total have been furloughed.

Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill testified before Congress on Feb. 11 that many TSA officers live paycheck to paycheck.

She warned that when workers cannot cover rent, groceries, childcare, and gas, absences start climbing the longer a shutdown drags on.

TSA was already short-staffed from last fall

About 1,110 TSA officers left the agency in October and November 2025, a jump of more than 25% compared to the same period in 2024. Many cited missed pay, stress, and uncertainty from the fall shutdown.

Some officers slept in cars at airports to save gas, and others sold blood plasma to pay bills. TSA had been in the middle of a surge in hiring for spring and summer travel when this new shutdown started.

The agency is also gearing up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off in June.

Airport security lines could get longer

Travel industry groups warned that unpaid TSA staff may call out sick or miss shifts more often as the shutdown continues.

During the fall 2025 shutdown, TSA temporarily closed two checkpoints at Philadelphia International Airport because it did not have enough workers.

U.S. Travel, Airlines for America, and the American Hotel & Lodging Association said the fall shutdown caused about $6 billion in economic damage and disrupted travel for more than 6 million people.

Air traffic controllers are not affected this time since the FAA is fully funded.

TSA paychecks could shrink by March 3

TSA employees could see a reduced paycheck around March 3 if Congress does not act. A full missed paycheck could follow by March 17.

Federal workers are entitled to back pay once funding comes through, thanks to the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act. But back pay does not help anyone cover bills while checks are delayed.

The financial strain tends to push more TSA workers into calling out, which feeds a cycle of worsening airport delays.

DHS agencies beyond TSA feel the hit

DHS oversees more than 20 agencies with roughly 272,000 employees. More than 90% of them must keep working without pay.

The Coast Guard, the only military branch under DHS, would suspend all missions except those tied to national security or protecting lives.

About 94% of the Secret Service’s roughly 8,000 employees will stay on the job unpaid. FEMA can still respond to emergencies, but cannot reimburse states for ongoing disaster recovery costs.

ICE and border agents have separate funding

Immigration and Customs Enforcement got about $75 billion from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in 2025. Customs and Border Protection got about $64 billion from the same law.

That money lets both agencies keep running core operations, including deportations, even during the shutdown.

ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons told Congress the shutdown could affect work on organized crime but not immigration enforcement.

Democrats acknowledge they have limited power to actually stop ICE or CBP through a funding fight.

No clear path to a deal before Feb. 23

Both sides say they are open to more talks, but neither has moved much. Negotiations center on how far the White House will go on immigration enforcement limits.

Some Republicans have offered body camera requirements and better agent training as a middle ground. Democrats say their core demands around ending roving patrols, requiring warrants, and banning masks still stand.

The shutdown could stretch well past the recess if no deal comes together before lawmakers return on Feb. 23.

This shutdown differs from last fall’s in key ways

The fall 2025 shutdown hit the entire federal government for 43 days, the longest in U.S. history. This one only affects DHS and its agencies.

Air traffic controllers, who went unpaid last fall and contributed to flight cancellations, are fully funded this time.

But experts warn that the fresh memory of that shutdown could cause TSA morale and staffing to drop faster. Spring break travel picks up in March, and the FIFA World Cup adds even more urgency to ending the standoff.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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