DHS Shutdown Leaves 260,000 Employees Unpaid as Senators Clash Over Blame and Airport Disruptions
A partial DHS shutdown that began Feb. 14 has left roughly 260,000 Department of Homeland Security employees — including thousands at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — working without pay, a point of sharp contention at a March 18 Senate hearing where GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno publicly clashed with ranking member Gary Peters over who is to blame. The funding standoff has coincided with mounting TSA staffing shortages — more than 300 officers have quit, national sick‑call rates have topped 10% (much higher at some airports), and officials warned closures could become necessary — compounding travel chaos already driven by a severe multi‑front weather system that has caused thousands of flight cancellations and long security lines at major hubs.
📌 Key Facts
- A partial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown that began Feb. 14 has left about 260,000 DHS employees unpaid for more than a month.
- TSA staffing and pay problems: roughly 50,000 TSA officers are working without pay, and more than 300 TSA officers (366 reported by some outlets) have quit since the shutdown; some report sleeping in cars or taking other measures to get to work.
- Sick‑out/callout rates and operational strain: the national TSA callout rate reached about 10.19% (the highest on record), with hub hotspots including roughly 37% callouts at Atlanta’s Hartsfield‑Jackson, a 55% callout rate reported at Houston Hobby, and New Orleans and Atlanta topping 30%; some checkpoints have been closed or were scheduled to close.
- Air‑travel disruption: the combination of weather and TSA shortages produced thousands of cancellations and delays across multiple days (examples include Monday: >4,800 cancellations and >12,800 delays; Tuesday: >1,000 cancellations and ~4,200 delays), with major impacts at Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Chicago O’Hare/Midway, Atlanta, LaGuardia, Houston and Detroit.
- Weather amplified disruption: a broad, erratic storm system produced heavy snow and blizzard conditions across Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan (parts seeing 1–2+ feet), severe‑wind and tornado threats for the mid‑Atlantic and D.C., and widespread airport impacts; simultaneously the West faced an unusually early heat wave and Hawaii saw catastrophic flooding (Maui 20–23+ inches).
- TSA leadership and union warnings: acting deputy TSA administrator Adam Stahl warned rising sick calls could plausibly force airport shutdowns (smaller hubs most at risk), TSA unions warned of increasingly long lines, and the U.K. updated travel guidance warning of longer than usual queues at some U.S. airports.
- Political clash and blame: lawmakers traded accusations over responsibility at hearings — Sen. Bernie Moreno (R‑Ohio) used a March 18 DHS confirmation hearing to condemn the shutdown and said about 260,000 workers are unpaid, while Democrats have said they will not fund DHS until new immigration restrictions are imposed following the fatal Minneapolis shootings, making the impasse a central cause cited for the funding lapse.
- Broader infrastructure impacts: the severe weather and related events have stressed emergency resources — hundreds of thousands lost power (Poweroutage.com reported >500,000 early Tuesday), Nebraska wildfires have scorched over 1,140 square miles (Morrill County fire among the largest), and communities in multiple states experienced school closures, road shutdowns and shelter operations.
📊 Relevant Data
In the Department of Homeland Security, Black or African American employees comprise 14.32% of the permanent workforce, compared to 13.6% of the U.S. population, Hispanic or Latino employees 20.27% compared to 18.9% nationally, and White employees 58.32% similar to 58.9% nationally.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Black individuals make up 19% of the overall federal workforce, overrepresented compared to 13% of the U.S. labor force, while Hispanic individuals make up 10% compared to 19% in the labor force.
A Profile of the 2023 Federal Workforce — Partnership for Public Service
The median household wealth for Black households in 2021 was $27,100, 9.2 times less than the $250,400 for White households, with 55% of Black households in the lower wealth tier compared to over 70% of White households in middle or upper tiers.
Wealth Surges in the Pandemic, But Debt Shows a Fragile Economy — Pew Research Center
Black federal employees are disproportionately impacted by government shutdowns, as Black households have lower average liquid assets ($1,500) compared to White households ($8,100), making it harder to weather unpaid periods.
Federal Spending Bill Contains Bitter Medicine for Black Americans — Capital B News
Minnesota's Somali community, part of the Black population growth, originated from refugees fleeing the 1990s civil war, resettled under the U.S. Refugee Act of 1980 through agencies like Lutheran Social Services and Catholic Charities, followed by family reunification immigration.
How Minnesota became a hub for Somali immigrants in the U.S. — NPR
📰 Source Timeline (15)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 18, 2026
9:18 PM
‘How do you sleep at night?' Moreno slams ‘disgraceful’ shutdown leaving 260,000 workers without pay
New information:
- Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) used the March 18 Mullin DHS confirmation hearing to hammer both parties for the shutdown, stressing that about 260,000 DHS employees have gone more than a month without pay.
- Moreno directly accused Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs ranking member Gary Peters (D-Mich.) of breaking a promise to keep key agencies funded and called Peters' inattention during the hearing "incredibly disrespectful."
- Moreno highlighted that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency that processed his own naturalization, is among the unfunded components, saying roughly 3,300 USCIS employees processing legal immigrants are not being paid, and challenged Democrats to explicitly say they do not want to fund ICE’s 7,000 special agents who target transnational criminal organizations.
12:21 PM
Official warns some airports could shut down if TSA sick calls climb
New information:
- Acting deputy TSA administrator Adam Stahl explicitly warned that if TSA officer sick‑call rates continue to rise, 'there could be scenarios where we may have to shut down airports,' calling the situation 'serious.'
- Stahl said 'hundreds' of TSA officers have already quit and that about 50,000 remaining officers are working without pay, with some sleeping in their cars and donating blood to afford gas to reach work.
- The article reports that Monday’s national TSA sick‑out rate exceeded 10% — five times normal — with roughly 37% of screeners calling out at Atlanta’s Hartsfield‑Jackson, closing one checkpoint and pushing waits over two hours; waits reached at least 103 minutes at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental, and three of six TSA checkpoints at Philadelphia International were scheduled to be closed Wednesday.
- TSA leadership now acknowledges that while large‑hub closures are not yet imminent, shutting down smaller airports is a plausible scenario if funding and staffing continue to deteriorate.
12:18 PM
TSA official says rising sick calls could lead to airports shutting down
New information:
- CBS clip provides on‑camera confirmation from acting deputy TSA administrator Adam Stahl that 'estimated wait times at some of the country's major airports are up to two hours' due to rising sick calls.
- Stahl states explicitly that 'there could be scenarios where we may have to shut down airports,' framing closures as a concrete contingency rather than a purely hypothetical risk.
- He characterizes the situation as 'serious,' underscoring TSA leadership’s level of concern about continued sick‑out trends during the partial government shutdown.
8:00 AM
Flight passengers are warned things could get worse amid DHS shutdown, delays and callouts
New information:
- TSA’s national callout rate hit 10.19% on Sunday, which a TSA spokesperson described as the highest the agency has seen.
- Houston Hobby International Airport reached a 55% TSA callout rate on Friday, with New Orleans and Atlanta topping 30% over the weekend.
- A total of 366 TSA officers have quit during the DHS shutdown so far, and it takes 4–6 months to train and certify replacements, creating a structural staffing gap.
- The United Kingdom updated its official foreign travel advice to warn of 'longer than usual queues at some U.S. airports due to a partial US government shutdown.'
- Hartsfield‑Jackson Atlanta International Airport publicly warned that domestic travelers are trying to bypass domestic terminal lines by using the international terminal, which is worsening congestion there.
March 17, 2026
5:26 PM
Flight cancellations pile up after storms dump snow in the Midwest and head east
New information:
- On Tuesday, more than 1,000 U.S. flights were canceled and about 4,200 delayed, with the worst disruptions at Atlanta’s Hartsfield‑Jackson (200+ cancellations, ~450 delays).
- On Monday, more than 4,800 flights were canceled and delays topped 12,800 nationwide, including roughly 600 cancellations at Chicago O’Hare, 500+ at Atlanta, and about 450 at New York’s LaGuardia.
- The article explicitly links the storm‑driven disruption to an ongoing partial DHS shutdown that began Feb. 14, noting more than 300 TSA agents have quit and some workers are taking second jobs or can’t afford gas to get to work.
- TSA union leaders in Atlanta held a news conference warning travelers should expect increasingly long security lines as the shutdown continues, while passengers describe sleeping on airport floors and arriving four hours early due to TSA delays.
1:53 PM
More flights canceled or delayed as weather, TSA staffing upend travel
New information:
- The article explicitly ties ongoing nationwide flight delays to a partial DHS shutdown that began February 14 and has left TSA employees working without pay.
- More than 300 TSA staffers have quit since the shutdown began, and TSA call-out rates have more than doubled, with last weekend marking the highest and second-highest call-out days to date.
- The shutdown affects only the Department of Homeland Security, and Democrats are refusing to fund DHS until new restrictions are imposed on federal immigration operations following the fatal Minneapolis shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
- TSA union leaders in Atlanta publicly warned Monday that travelers should expect increasingly long security lines as the shutdown continues, even as many officers still report for duty under growing financial strain.
10:00 AM
Blizzards, severe storms, heat wave hit U.S. with array of extreme weather
New information:
- AccuWeather estimates that more than 200 million people were under threat Monday from some type of dangerous weather, from heat and wildfire advisories to flood and freeze watches.
- Phoenix is expected to see five straight days of triple‑digit temperatures this week, an unprecedented March heat wave with only one prior 100‑degree March day on record (1988).
- L.A. Mayor Karen Bass publicly linked the early‑season Southern California heat to climate change, saying “This is technically still winter… a sign of how climate change is impacting our city,” as Bay Area and Sacramento temperatures approach 90°F.
- Nebraska officials say three large fires have burned more than 1,140 square miles of mostly grassland, with Gov. Jim Pillen calling the situation a 'doozy' from Mother Nature.
- Poweroutage.com data cited show more than 500,000 homes and businesses without power early Tuesday, mainly in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts.
- Four people, including a child, died Monday in a New York City apartment fire that spread rapidly in heavy winds associated with the storm system.
March 16, 2026
10:45 PM
News Wrap: Chaotic weather system delays U.S. travelers
New information:
- Article explicitly ties the severe-weather system to delays for 'tens of thousands of travelers nationwide,' emphasizing air-travel disruption as a primary impact.
- Confirms Maui received more than 23 inches of rain, characterized as 'almost two feet of water' on Saturday, consistent with but reinforcing earlier figures.
- Provides an on-the-ground detail that TSA agents missing paychecks during the partial DHS shutdown are already calling out from work, compounding airport disruption from the storm.
1:31 PM
Severe storms blast eastern half of the U.S. with snow and high winds, as tornado threat rises
New information:
- Confirms more than 2,000 flight cancellations nationwide tied to the storm as of Monday.
- Details that mid-Atlantic states and Washington, D.C., are at greatest risk for high winds and tornadoes, with a stretch from parts of South Carolina to Maryland highlighted for the most damaging winds Monday afternoon.
- Specifies that by Tuesday morning, wind chills below freezing are expected to reach the Gulf Coast and Florida Panhandle, with freeze warnings in parts of the Southeast as well as Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas.
- Notes additional snowfall totals in Upper Michigan of up to another foot to 20 inches, with blizzard conditions persisting in parts of Wisconsin and Michigan and up to 2 feet already on the ground in some areas.
- Reports widespread school closures in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin and Michigan, and early dismissals in Maryland due to the line of storms and high-wind/tornado threat.
- Quotes North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein urging residents to enable emergency alerts ahead of forecast gusts up to 74 mph.
7:44 AM
Severe storms pummel parts of US with snow and high winds and raise tornado threat
New information:
- National Weather Service now highlights a corridor from parts of South Carolina to Maryland as most likely to experience the greatest damaging winds and several tornadoes on Monday afternoon, including Raleigh, Richmond, and Washington, D.C.
- Officials in North Carolina have ordered schools in Raleigh and Chapel Hill closed Monday because of the tornado and high‑wind threat; Gov. Josh Stein urged residents to enable emergency alerts ahead of potential 74‑mph gusts.
- AccuWeather’s Tyler Roys specifies that central Wisconsin to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is likely to see over 2 feet of snow, with lower but still disruptive accumulations in Chicago and Milwaukee impacting Monday commutes.
- The article reinforces that Hawaii continues to see flooding from a separate system, with some Maui locations receiving more than 20 inches of rain and extended road closures and shelter operations.
3:12 AM
Snow and wind batter parts of US, with threat of thunderstorms and tornadoes starting later Sunday
New information:
- AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tyler Roys describes the event as a "broad and erratic patchwork" of severe weather and warns that successive punches of snow, wind and severe weather will impact the eastern half of the U.S.
- Forecast detail that mid‑Atlantic states and Washington, D.C., are at greatest risk for high winds and tornadoes on Monday as the system moves east.
- Report that more than 850 flights were canceled Sunday at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports, on top of more than 600 cancellations at Minneapolis–Saint Paul and additional cancellations through Detroit.
- Updated Hawaii impact numbers: nearly 40,000 electric customers without power and some areas of Maui receiving more than 20 inches of rain, with local officials reporting flooding, landslides, sinkholes and widespread infrastructure damage.
March 15, 2026
8:26 PM
Severe weather batter parts of U.S., with threat of thunderstorms and tornadoes starting later Sunday
New information:
- Confirms more than a foot of snow in portions of Minnesota and Wisconsin as of Sunday morning, with additional accumulations expected in the Minneapolis area under active blizzard warnings.
- Reports that more than 600 flights into and out of Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport were canceled Sunday, with additional cancellations through Detroit.
- Details severe flooding in Hawaii: over 50,000 customers without power statewide, acres of farmland and homes flooded, road closures and opened shelters, and Maui County’s mayor reporting up to 20 inches of rain in 24 hours in parts of Maui, along with landslides, rescues and collapsed homes.
- Quotes AccuWeather meteorologist Tyler Roys warning that successive punches of snow, wind and severe weather will impact the eastern half of the U.S. and several major airports.
- Notes that portions of the mid‑South are bracing for late‑day thunderstorms Sunday that are expected to spread east and bring high‑wind and tornado threats to a broad swath of the Eastern U.S., with the Mid‑Atlantic including Washington, D.C., most at risk Monday.
7:26 PM
Weather threats bring blizzard conditions, early heat wave to parts of U.S.
New information:
- Quantifies current alert scope: about 11.5 million people under blizzard warnings, 4.3 million under winter storm warnings, and 20.6 million under an extreme heat watch.
- Confirms more than a foot of snow already fell in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin on Sunday, with additional accumulation expected in Minneapolis under ongoing blizzard warnings.
- Reports a formal no‑travel advisory in southern Minnesota and that Gov. Tim Walz authorized the Minnesota National Guard to support emergency operations.
- Details that more than 600 flights into and out of Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport were canceled Sunday, with additional cancellations in Detroit.
- Specifies Monday’s forecast moderate risk of severe weather and damaging winds from parts of South Carolina to Maryland, including Raleigh, Richmond and Washington, D.C., plus a broader, lower risk stretching north into part of New York and south into northern Florida.
- Introduces a simultaneous, unusually early heat wave in the West, with potential record highs in Southern California, the Desert Southwest and Great Basin, including 90s–100s in desert areas and 70s–80s across much of California and the interior West, along with elevated wildfire danger.
5:41 PM
Snow and wind batter parts of US, with threat of thunderstorms and tornadoes
New information:
- Confirms that a broad, erratic storm system is simultaneously producing heavy snow and blizzard conditions in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan while the same pattern drives the Nebraska wildfires previously reported.
- Reports more than 600 flight cancellations into and out of Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport on Sunday and additional cancellations through Detroit because of the storm.
- Provides updated scope on the Nebraska wildfires: three of the largest fires have damaged well over 900 square miles, with the Morrill County fire alone burning well over 700 square miles, and about 30 Nebraska National Guard members deployed to assist.
- Notes that roughly 150,000 utility customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan remain without power Sunday after earlier non-thunderstorm wind gusts up to 85 mph, linking the current storm pattern to lingering outages.
- Adds that forecasters expect late-day severe thunderstorms Sunday to spread east and by Monday threaten a large swath of the Eastern U.S., with the mid-Atlantic including Washington, D.C., at particular risk for high winds and possible tornadoes.