U.S. Congress fails to end DHS funding deadlock as airport disruption fears grow

The U.S. Congress failed on Friday (27 March) to resolve a six-week funding impasse that has disrupted airports and left tens of thousands of federal workers without pay, raising fears of further travel chaos during the busy spring break period.

After a day of intense legislative deliberations, lawmakers remained deadlocked, unable to settle a dispute over immigration enforcement that has halted salaries for many of the 270,000 employees of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), even though most have continued working.

With no agreement in place, the White House said Donald Trump had declared an emergency, allowing airport screening officers to receive pay as early as Monday.

However, other DHS staff who have gone without wages since mid-February, including those handling emergency response and coastal defence, are expected to remain unpaid as lawmakers head out for a two-week recess.

The day began with a Senate vote in which lawmakers unanimously approved a bill to restore funding for most DHS operations while attempting to address the immigration enforcement dispute behind the standoff.

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Democrats supported the bill because it excluded funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), while Republicans backed it because it did not include the restrictions Democrats had sought on Trump’s hardline enforcement approach.

But the Republican-controlled House rejected that compromise, instead narrowly passing a stopgap measure to fund the entire DHS through late May, including immigration enforcement, a proposal Democrats had already ruled out.

"We've been clear from day one: Democrats will fund critical homeland security functions, but we will not give a blank check to Trump's lawless and deadly immigration militia without reforms," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

It remains uncertain whether the Senate will consider the House bill, and if it does, Democrats are expected to block it.

Impact of the deadlock

The shutdown has already caused long queues at U.S. airports. Many of the 50,000 security officers affected have either called in sick or resigned. On Thursday, nearly 12% of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers did not report for duty, including more than a third at major hubs such as New York’s JFK, Baltimore, Houston’s two airports and Atlanta.

Significant disruptions and security delays stretching several hours were reported on Friday. Airline officials told Reuters the situation could deteriorate further over the weekend without clear assurances on how TSA staff would be paid.

The agency’s acting chief, Ha McNeill, said some officers have been sleeping in their cars to save fuel costs, while others have been selling blood or taking second jobs to get by.

Democrats block DHS funds after U.S. citizens killed

Democrats, who are in the minority in both chambers of Congress, used their limited leverage to block DHS funding following the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis.

They are seeking to curb Trump’s immigration enforcement push, which has led to more than half a million deportations and unrest in several U.S. cities.

Despite the shutdown, both ICE and Border Patrol continue to operate using separate funding approved under a sweeping tax and spending bill passed by Republicans last year.

Republicans have indicated they may seek additional funding for those agencies through a complex legislative process that could bypass Democratic opposition, though it remains unclear whether they can maintain party unity in an election year.

With limited power in Washington, Democrats have triggered two government shutdowns in the past six months. Neither has delivered their desired outcomes; they failed to secure expiring health subsidies last November and have now emerged from the latest standoff without an agreement on immigration enforcement.

Even so, the Trump administration has, for now, stepped back from the confrontational and at times violent tactics that sparked mass protests in Minneapolis, Chicago and other cities.

Trump removed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem earlier this month. Her replacement, former Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, has signalled support for some Democratic proposals, including limiting agents’ ability to forcibly enter homes without a judicial warrant.

Other proposals appear unlikely to move forward. Trump’s border chief, Tom Homan, said Democrats’ call for agents to operate without masks was a "nonstarter."

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