President Donald Trump said Thursday he would instructing the Homeland Security secretary to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration agents as Congress struggles to reach a deal to end the budget impasse that has jammed airports and left workers without paychecks.
Congress is under pressure to fund the ahead of its upcoming spring recess, as the Transportation Security Administration may have to if the budget impasse drags on.
The shutdown has taken a personal toll on TSA workers. Over 480 officers have quit altogether, according to DHS. At some of the busiest and most backed-up U.S. airports, ICE officers are patrolling security lines and checkpoints, ordered by Trump to assist a short-staffed TSA.
The vote to fund DHS remained at a standstill Thursday as senators negotiate behind closed doors and review the to end the funding impasse with potential immigration enforcement changes. A core group of more than 10 Democrats and Republicans is trying to hammer out details as pressure mounts on Congress to reach a deal.
Here’s the latest:
After Trump says he will fund TSA; next steps uncertain for rest of DHS
Senate Majority Leader John Thune says Trump鈥檚 announcement that he will pay TSA agents 鈥渢akes the pressure off鈥� negotiations over funding the entire DHS, but it is a 鈥渟hort term solution.鈥�
Thune and Trump spoke Thursday. It was not immediately clear whether the Senate would stay in session ahead of a two-week recess to figure out how to fund the rest of the department, which has been shut down for weeks as Democrats demand reforms to ICE and other federal agencies that have been part of Trump鈥檚 immigration enforcement operations.
Thune said he would have more to say about next steps later Thursday evening, but senators want 鈥渢o fund everything.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to try to fund as much of the DHS budget as we possibly can,鈥� Thune said.
Senate Republicans praise Trump鈥檚 move to pay TSA workers as bipartisan negotiations stall
Republican Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming said that Trump is 鈥渄oing absolutely the right thing鈥� after the president said Thursday evening that he would sign an emergency order to pay Transportation Security Administration agents who have gone unpaid for weeks amid a spending stalemate in Congress.
Barrasso, the No. 2 Senate Republican, told reporters in the Capitol that Trump was 鈥渟howing leadership鈥� as bipartisan negotiations over Homeland Security Department funding have stalled.
Democrats are demanding reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement before they will vote to fund the department. Negotiations have so far failed to yield an agreement.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to repurpose funds,鈥� Barrasso said. 鈥淗e knows how to do that.鈥�
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also praised the president.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e saving the country a lot of heartache and danger,鈥� Graham posted on X.
Trump says he will sign emergency order to pay TSA agents
Trump said Thursday he would sign an emergency order instructing the Homeland Security secretary to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration agents as Congress struggles to reach a deal to end the budget impasse that has jammed airports and left workers without paychecks.
Trump announced his decision in a social media post saying he wanted to quickly stop the 鈥淐haos at the Airports.鈥�
鈥淚t is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it!鈥� the president posted.
Vote to fund DHS halted as senators retreat behind closed doors for negotiations
Voting has come to a standstill as senators retreat behind closed doors to review the latest Republican offer to end the funding impasse with potential immigration enforcement changes.
The vote to advance an earlier GOP proposal was failing, as the new approach takes shape.
鈥淪till working on it,鈥� said Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., a chief GOP negotiator as she ducked into Senate Majority Leader John Thune鈥檚 office.
A core group of more than 10 Democrats and Republicans are trying to hammer out details as pressure mounts on Congress to reach a deal.
Is Trump considering declaring a national emergency to pay TSA workers?
It鈥檚 among a menu of options the White House is considering as Senate talks to end the budget stalemate came to a standstill and airport workers go unpaid.
One Republican, Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, said he was told at lunch that the decision had already been made, but he spoke directly to the White House afterward and understood that was not the case.
鈥淭he president may well decide that, but I don鈥檛 know,鈥� said Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.
Collins, who is the chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee that handles money matters, said there are other options available 鈥� including funding elsewhere that can be legally used to pay TSA as well as the Coast Guard.
Undocumented immigrants advised to avoid Florida airport due to ICE presence
A group representing immigrant farmworkers in south Florida is telling undocumented people to avoid Southwest Florida International Airport after federal officers arrived to help with security this week.
鈥淚f you are undocumented, it is recommended to not go to the airport 鈥� inside or outside,鈥� Unidos Immokalee told its followers on social media. Immokalee is home to many immigrants who work in the tomato fields and other farming operations in the area that鈥檚 known as one of Florida鈥檚 most important agricultural regions.
Victoria Moreland, a spokeswoman for the airport, said ICE agents were deployed this week to the airport, which serves Fort Myers and surrounding areas along Florida鈥檚 southwest coast. She said questions about their job responsibilities would need to be directed to the federal government.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement didn鈥檛 immediately respond to questions about ICE agents at the Florida airport, among the smallest U.S. airports hosting ICE agents.
Republicans have given Democrats 鈥榣ast and final鈥� offer on DHS funding, says Sen. Thune
Senate Majority Leader John Thune opened the chamber Thursday by saying that 鈥淒emocrats need to get serious about funding the Department of Homeland Security.鈥�
鈥淭he Dems are now in possession of what I think is our last and final, so let鈥檚 hope this gets it done,鈥� Thune told reporters about where negotiations stood.
Thune would not comment on what was in the proposal, after each side and the White House have sought to find a deal before lawmakers are set to leave next week for recess.
鈥淓nough is enough. Republicans have bent over backward to negotiate with Democrats,鈥� said Thune.
How many TSA officers have quit during the shutdown?
Almost 500, according to the latest DHS count.
鈥淭his reckless shutdown has driven nearly 500 TSA officers to quit, while thousands more are forced to call out because they can鈥檛 afford gas, childcarechild carer rent,鈥� DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis said.
Nationwide on Wednesday, more than 11% of the TSA employees on the schedule missed work, according to DHS. That鈥檚 over 3,120 callouts.
The callout rate was three or four times higher at some airports, DHS said:
About 41% at Atlanta鈥檚 Hartsfield Jackson
39% at Houston鈥檚 George Bush Intercontinental
36% at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans
Nearly 32% at Houston鈥檚 secondary airport, William P. Hobby
Roughly 29% at both New York鈥檚 John F. Kennedy and Baltimore-Washington International Airport
Travelers venting frustration over TSA funding impasse
Passengers waiting in Houston鈥檚 hourslong airport shourslongnes have plenty of time to vent their frustration with the political impasse that鈥檚 left TSA agents unpaid.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 experience this in a lot of other countries, and I just feel like it鈥檚 unacceptable,鈥� said Eche Emole, trying to catch a flight Thursday to Cancun, Mexico, at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. 鈥淭his should not be happening.鈥�
Emole said he was still waiting to clear security after three hours in line.
James Person, flying to Knoxville, Tennessee, said the waiting crowds had been friendly. And he praised the airport staff, TSA agents and immigration officers brought in by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to help bolster security.
鈥淚鈥檓 just really upset with Congress for not doing their job to fund DHS so we can get rid of this mess,鈥� Person said.
Senate scheduled to vote this afternoon on advancing the DHS funding measure
But without a deal between Democrats and Republicans, it鈥檚 unlikely that any legislation on the shutdown will advance. There have been multiple failed votes in the Senate in recent weeks.
Some passengers missing or postponing Houston flights after hours in line
Some travelers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston say they鈥檙e missing flights after spending hours in security lines.
Melissa Gates said she wouldn鈥檛 make her flight to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after waiting more than 2 and a half hours and still not reaching the security checkpoint.
She said no other flights were available until Friday, so she planned to spend the night at the airport.
鈥淚 should have just driven, right?鈥� Gates said of her 260-mile (418-kilometer) trip to Baton Rouge. 鈥淔ive hours would have been hilarious next to this.鈥�
Jimmy Hidalgo had better luck. Still waiting to clear security after nearly three hours, he managed to bump his flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to a later departure.
鈥淚 changed it already for the next flight,鈥� Hidalgo said, noting he didn鈥檛 have to pay extra. 鈥淏ut now I鈥檒l have to sit in the middle seat.鈥�
New DHS secretary Mullin attends his first Cabinet meeting
Trump opened the meeting by noting the presence of Markwayne Mullin, who was sworn in Tuesday as the Department of Homeland Security鈥檚 new secretary.
The president also noted that 鈥渨e鈥檙e now on Day 41鈥� of the shutdown of DHS, which has meant TSA agents at airports have been working without pay. That has led passengers to wait for hours to clear security before their flights.
鈥淐ongratulations,鈥� Trump told Mullin. Everyone else laughed. Trump blamed the shutdown on Democrats, who have been pushing for procedural changes for immigration and customs operations. Negotiations continue to break the impasse.
Trump said 鈥渢hey need to end the shutdown immediately, or we鈥檒l have to take some very drastic measures.鈥� He already has sent some ICE officers to airports as backup for TSA.
Long security lines in Atlanta extend outside airport
Travelers arriving early Thursday to catch flights in Atlanta found long security lines extending outside the main terminal.
Photos and video posted to social media from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport showed lines winding through the baggage claim area, outside the doors and down the sidewalk outside.
The airport wasn鈥檛 reporting estimated wait times to clear security checks. But its website said travelers should allow themselves four hours to clear security amid the political impasse that鈥檚 left TSA agents without pay.
Four-hour waits return to Houston after a midweek lull
Passengers are facing more four-hour waits to clear security at following a brief respite.
The airport鈥檚 website said Thursday morning that travelers should expect to wait two hours, 30 minutes in the security line at one of its open terminals and four hours at the other.
That鈥檚 after waits dipped to two hours or less Wednesday, which airport officials attributed to fewer people flying midweek.
Lines and wait times are expected to grow Thursday and Friday because of 鈥渟ignificantly higher passenger traffic,鈥� according to an update on the airport鈥檚 website.
That鈥檚 in part because of some major events coming to Houston, including a large global energy conference and two of the NCAA Tournament鈥檚 Sweet 16 games.
A Houston airport has become a symbol for the shutdown鈥檚 impacts on air travel
Passengers are facing more four-hour waits to clear security at following a brief respite.
The airport鈥檚 website said Thursday morning that travelers should expect to wait two hours, 30 minutes in the security line at one of its open terminals and four hours at the other.
That鈥檚 after waits dipped to two hours or less Wednesday, which airport officials attributed to fewer people flying midweek.
Lines and wait times are expected to grow Thursday and Friday because of 鈥渟ignificantly higher passenger traffic,鈥� according to an update on the airport鈥檚 website.
That鈥檚 in part because of some major events coming to Houston, including a large global energy conference and two of the NCAA Tournament鈥檚 Sweet 16 games.
A Houston airport has become a symbol for the shutdown鈥檚 impacts on air travel
While long security lines have hobbled airports across the U.S., the problems at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston have been more pronounced.
Frustrated travelers at the city鈥檚 largest airport have confronted warnings of four-hour wait times to get through security.
Union and airport officials have offered a variety of reasons why Bush Intercontinental seems to be worse than other airports:
-It has one of the highest callout rates of TSA workers in the country
-It has higher passenger traffic, since the airport is a major hub for United Airlines
-It鈥檚 a busy tourism month for Houston
What ICE officers are doing at airports
ICE officers who are helping TSA at airports that are struggling with long passenger lines are helping with things like crowd control and verifying passengers鈥� identities using TSA equipment, according to a DHS spokeswoman.
鈥淎fter receiving standard TSA training curriculum, ICE officers are guarding entrances and exits, assisting with logistics, doing crowd control, and verifying identification using TSA equipment and standard operating procedures,鈥� said Lauren Bis. 鈥淭he more support we have available, the more efficiently TSA can focus on their highly specialized screening roles to efficiently get airport security lines moving faster.鈥�
Bis said she could not give details on how many ICE officers had been deployed to assist TSA or which airports they were stationed at due to operational security concerns.
Over 480 TSA officers have quit during the shutdown
McNeill, the acting TSA administrator, told lawmakers that multiple airports are experiencing greater than 40% callout rates and more than 480 transportation security officers have now quit during the shutdown.
She cited the growing financial strain on the TSA workforce.
鈥淪ome are sleeping in their cars, selling their blood and plasma, and taking on second jobs to make ends meet, all while being expected to perform at the highest level when in uniform to protect the traveling public,鈥� she said.
McNeil also said TSA officers working at the nation鈥檚 airports have experienced a more than 500% increase in the frequency of assaults since the shutdown began.
鈥淭his is unacceptable and it will not be tolerated,鈥� McNeill said.
Trump suggests using the National Guard at airports, raising legal questions
President Donald Trump said on social media Wednesday that he may deploy the National Guard to help at airports plagued by long security lines.
Trump said, 鈥淚 may call up the National Guard for more help鈥� after already ordering federal immigration agents to assist with security at airports.
Joseph Nunn, a legal scholar focused on domestic military activities at the Brennan Center for Justice, said Trump could likely make it work by asking governors to send in state troops who haven鈥檛 been federalized. They could perform law enforcement duties such as running X-ray machines and checking identification.
鈥淚f a governor doesn鈥檛 do that, it will limit his options,鈥� Nunn said.
Troops federalized by the president couldn鈥檛 perform duties similar to those of security screeners because of the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits the military鈥檚 role in enforcing domestic laws, Nunn said.
FEMA is also at risk
The Federal Emergency Management Agency鈥檚 Disaster Relief Fund is 鈥渞apidly depleting,鈥� Victoria Barton, a FEMA external affairs official, told lawmakers.
FEMA is able to continue its disaster response and recovery work as long as that fund has money, and about 10,000 of its disaster workers continue being paid through it.
What Congress is saying about the negotiations
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said that they needed to see real changes. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been talking about ICE reforms from day one,鈥� he said.
Republican leaders said Democrats are putting the country at risk. 鈥淭hey know this is crazy,鈥� said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
But conservative Republicans also panned the proposal, demanding full funding for immigration operations and skeptical of the promise from GOP leaders that they would address Trump鈥檚 proof-of-citizenship in a subsequent legislative package.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said late Wednesday that if Democrats put a 鈥渕ore realistic offer on the table, we鈥檒l be back in business.鈥�
DHS has gone without routine funding since mid-February
Democrats are insisting on changes to the Trump administration鈥檚 after the killings of two U.S. citizens by federal officers during protests.
The latest GOP proposal would fund most of DHS except for the enforcement and removal operations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that have been central to the debate. The plan would provide money for other aspects of ICE as well as Customs and Border Protection.
While the offer added some new restraints on immigration officers, including the use of body cameras, it excluded other policies that Democrats have demanded, such as requirements that federal agents wear identification and refrain from conducting raids around schools, churches or other sensitive places.
TSA boss warns of airport shutdowns
The Transportation Security Administration may have to shut down operations at some airports if the budget impasse drags on, the agency鈥檚 acting head said Wednesday, even as record wait time for travelers did little to over the funding fight in Congress.
The TSA鈥檚 Ha Nguyen McNeill described the facing unpaid airport workers 鈥� piling up bills and eviction notices, even plasma donations to make ends meet 鈥� and warned that lawmakers must ensure 鈥渢his never happens again.鈥�
鈥淭his is a dire situation,鈥� she testified at a House hearing, warning of potential airport closures. 鈥淎t this point, we have to look at all options on the table. And that does require us to, at some point, make very difficult choices as to which airports we might try to keep open and which ones we might have to shut down as our callout rates increase.鈥�
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
