Senate Republicans Send Offer to Fund 94% of DHS, Withhold $5.5 Billion for ICE Enforcement While Pursuing SAVE Act via Reconciliation
Senate Republicans have formally offered to restore roughly 94% of DHS funding while withholding $5.5 billion for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, keeping other ICE investigative functions and DHS components funded but carving out ERO. GOP leaders say they would seek to fund ICE enforcement and push elements of the SAVE America Act through budget reconciliation, even as Democrats insist on statutory ICE reforms (judicial warrants, visible IDs, body cameras, limits on sensitive‑location operations) and the partial shutdown continues to cripple TSA staffing and airport operations.
📌 Key Facts
- On March 24 Senate Republicans formally offered to fund roughly 94% of the Department of Homeland Security budget while withholding about $5.5 billion specifically from ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), keeping other ICE functions (like HSI) and most DHS components financed.
- The GOP framework pairs funding with new operational constraints — visible officer identification, body cameras, and limits on civil immigration enforcement at sensitive locations — while Democrats insist on statutory reforms including judicial warrants for home/business entries and bans on masks and roaming patrols.
- The partial DHS funding lapse began Feb. 14 and stretched into late March (roughly five-plus weeks); bipartisan, closed‑door negotiations involving senators and White House border czar Tom Homan were described as "productive," but former President Trump’s demand that the SAVE America Act (voter ID/proof‑of‑citizenship provisions) be tied to any DHS deal complicated talks.
- The shutdown has left tens of thousands of DHS employees working without pay (reporting ranges of roughly 120,000 up to 260,000 DHS employees affected, including about 50,000 TSA officers), prompted more than 300 TSA resignations, and driven national TSA sick‑out/callout rates to about 10% overall with some hubs reporting 30%–55% callouts.
- Severe staffing shortages at TSA, compounded by concurrent weather disruptions, produced major travel impacts—thousands of flight cancellations and widespread delays (daily tallies reported from ~2,000 up to ~4,800 cancellations on peak days), long security lines (reports of waits up to two hours or more), checkpoint closures, and warnings from TSA leadership that continued callouts could force checkpoint or airport shutdowns.
- Republican leaders are exploring using budget reconciliation (a partisan, majority‑only process) to fund ICE ERO and some SAVE Act financial provisions later; some GOP senators floated accepting a Democratic carve‑out to reopen most of DHS (all but ICE) and then moving ICE funding through reconciliation, an option the White House initially resisted but some negotiators pressed to pursue.
- ICE basic salaries and a multi‑year build‑out were previously financed under the 2025 "One Big Beautiful Bill," which has allowed certain ICE operations to continue receiving pay even as annual DHS appropriations lapsed and other agencies (notably TSA) went unpaid.
- Multiple Senate and House procedural efforts to reopen DHS have failed (including at least five failed Senate attempts to advance a full DHS funding bill and failed TSA‑only measures), prompting additional House and Senate maneuvers (discharge petitions, planned oversight hearings) while negotiations continue.
📊 Relevant Data
During the 2026 DHS shutdown, 366 TSA officers have left the agency, contributing to staffing shortages that exacerbate air travel disruptions.
TSA Attrition Spikes as 366 Officers Exit Amid DHS Shutdown Fallout; Security Risks Mount — AInvest
Climate-related events, including prolonged droughts and hurricanes, have contributed to increased emigration from Central America to the US between 2023 and 2026, with these factors intertwined with violence and economic hardship driving migration flows that ICE deportations address.
Central American Immigrants in the United States — Migration Policy Institute
The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act has contributed to significant US demographic changes, with new immigrants, their children, and grandchildren accounting for 55% of population growth from 1965 to 2015, leading to a foreign-born population of about 45 million by 2015, influencing debates on voting laws like the SAVE Act.
Impact of immigration of U.S. population growth since 1965 — Working Immigrants
Racial and ethnic minorities, particularly Black and Hispanic citizens, are less likely to possess valid photo ID compared to White citizens, with disparities linked to socioeconomic factors such as lower vehicle ownership in urban areas.
The Racial Implications of Voter Identification Laws in America — ResearchGate
Nationwide, verified instances of non-citizen voting in US elections remain extremely rare, with rates estimated below 0.0001% in recent cycles, based on audits from 2024 elections.
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
Battle for the immigration high ground
"The Playbook column argues that GOP stumbles around the protracted DHS shutdown — especially linking funding to the SAVE Act and Senate procedural setbacks — combined with polling weakness, give Democrats a realistic opportunity to reclaim the immigration narrative if they adopt Searchlight’s more nuanced messaging and policy posture."
📰 Source Timeline (44)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 24, 2026
6:01 PM
Why do ICE agents get paid during the partial government shutdown, but not TSA?
New information:
- Spells out that ICE’s basic salaries and a multi‑year build‑out were already provided for by the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, separate from the current DHS appropriation fight.
- Provides granular detail on Democrats’ February letter outlining ten specific constraints they want on ICE operations as a condition for DHS funding.
- Notes that a Democratic attempt on March 21 to pass a TSA‑only funding bill failed along party lines, underscoring how Republicans are using TSA’s leverage to protect ICE from reforms.
- Reports that Democrats have now floated a measure to fund most of DHS—including TSA, FEMA and Coast Guard—while carving out ICE and CBP, mirroring but not identical to the Senate GOP’s 94%‑funding framework.
5:42 PM
Senate closes in on potential deal to end DHS shutdown
New information:
- Senate Republicans have now sent Democrats a formal offer to fund 94% of the DHS budget while withholding $5.5 billion specifically for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations.
- The offer’s structure relies on the fact that ICE has received significant funding via the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which has allowed the agency to keep operating during the shutdown.
- The White House meeting included GOP Sens. Steve Daines, Bernie Moreno, Lindsey Graham and Katie Britt, and they persuaded Trump to consider a path that decouples most DHS funding from the SAVE America Act by using budget reconciliation later for ICE ERO and SAVE provisions.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune publicly framed the deal as a 'good outcome,' saying Republicans have 'moved the Democrats a long way in our direction' and arguing that ICE reforms Democrats want are 'contingent on funding for ICE.'
- The article notes internal GOP skepticism about jamming the SAVE America Act through reconciliation, quoting Sen. Mike Lee’s post on X calling passage via reconciliation 'essentially impossible.'
- Democrats’ leverage point in the shutdown is tied directly to demands for ICE reforms after two deadly ICE-agent shootings in Minneapolis in January; they have been meeting with White House border czar Tom Homan while swapping reform proposals.
3:44 PM
WATCH LIVE: Senate meets as lawmakers consider deal to fund Homeland Security
New information:
- Specific emerging Senate proposal would fund much of DHS, including TSA, but exclude ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations while keeping other ICE functions like Homeland Security Investigations funded.
- The framework would impose new constraints requiring ICE and CBP officers to wear body cameras and visible identification, and aim to keep HSI and CBP in their traditional roles rather than using them in city immigration roundups.
- Article notes that a group of Republican senators met with President Trump at the White House late Monday and that negotiators worked through the night, with leaders John Thune and Chuck Schumer both describing talks as 'positive and productive' and 'serious.'
- It highlights that a significant portion of ICE is already funded via Trump’s tax bill, meaning new restraints would have to apply to operations financed from that stream as well, not just annual appropriations.
- Democrats’ negotiating posture is explicitly linked to the deaths of two U.S. citizens during ICE protest crackdowns in Minneapolis, which they cite as a reason to demand restraints on immigration enforcement and 'mass deportation operations.'
2:19 PM
Reporter's Notebook: GOP eyes DHS deal funding ICE probes, but not removals, as shutdown drags
New information:
- Senate Republicans are developing a DHS funding plan that would finance most of DHS and ICE investigative work (cartels, traffickers, child predators) but leave ICE 'enforcement and removal' programs unfunded to end the shutdown.
- The concept mirrors prior Democratic proposals to fund DHS without ICE, with GOP sources framing it as 'calling the Democrats’ bluff' even as it adopts much of Democrats’ earlier position.
- Republicans hope to extract a promise from Sen. Mike Lee to step back from blocking DHS funding over the SAVE America Act and to resume that debate after the Easter/Passover recess.
- GOP leaders are exploring moving only the 'money' components of the SAVE America Act — such as withholding federal dollars from states that don’t require photo ID — into a budget reconciliation package, though some provisions may not meet reconciliation rules.
12:23 AM
Mullin confirmed as DHS chief as lawmakers near solution on shutdown standoff
New information:
- Confirms Trump has reiterated on Truth Social that Republicans should make 'no deal' with Democrats on DHS funding unless and until they pass 'THE SAVE AMERICA ACT,' telling GOP senators to 'Kill the Filibuster' and stay in Washington through Easter if needed.
- Clarifies that Senate leaders John Thune and Chuck Schumer had begun in-person talks on reopening DHS and both characterized them as 'productive' before Trump’s social media intervention 'threw a wrench into negotiations.'
- Notes that Thune has floated a potential carve-out to fund ICE and CBP separately via budget reconciliation, insulating them from the stalled broader DHS package—an idea Trump appears to be undercutting with his all-or-nothing demand.
March 23, 2026
11:51 PM
Trump urges GOP leaders not to make deal to end shutdown unless Democrats back voter ID bill
New information:
- CBS reports Trump is urging GOP leaders not to make any shutdown‑ending deal unless Democrats back his voter ID legislation known as the SAVE America Act.
- The segment notes this stance comes 'despite the chaos at some of the nation's airports', underscoring that the president is aware of but willing to tolerate the travel disruption.
- CBS says Trump appears more optimistic about reaching a deal with Iran at the same time he is hardening his position on the shutdown and SAVE America Act.
11:40 PM
Republicans seek elusive path to restoring DHS funding
New information:
- House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington is in active talks with Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham about a second reconciliation bill that would carry the defense supplemental and possibly DHS funding.
- Arrington calls reconciliation the "only path" to a defense supplemental and says he is "not opposed" to adding DHS funding, warning that the standoff is becoming a public-safety issue.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on March 23 that using reconciliation to fund DHS is an "option," and Graham is convening GOP senators this week to discuss a reconciliation 2.0 package.
- Arrington outlines possible offsets for the reconciliation bill, including "a boatload of savings" from fraud and improper payments, tariff revenue, and ACA cost-sharing reduction changes.
- The story confirms that Trump personally rejected Thune’s idea of stripping ICE funding out of the shutdown fight and moving it through reconciliation, reinforcing that the White House wants the entire DHS funding question tied to the SAVE America Act.
10:30 PM
Johnson turns up heat on Schumer as DHS shutdown drags on, airport delays mount
New information:
- House Speaker Mike Johnson is scheduling two new House votes Thursday: a third vote on the full‑year DHS funding bill based on the earlier bipartisan deal, and a separate nonbinding pro‑DHS resolution led by Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.
- The latest version of the DHS funding bill will be carried by Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R‑Ariz., with Johnson using it to increase pressure specifically on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats.
- The article details that the shutdown has now reached 38 days, TSA agents are about to miss a second full paycheck, and major airports in Houston, New Orleans and New York City are experiencing hours‑long lines because of high TSA call‑outs.
- Republicans are explicitly rejecting Democratic demands for judicial warrants for ICE operations and bans on agents wearing masks, framing them as non‑starters, while continuing to echo Trump’s insistence that no DHS deal proceed without the SAVE America Act.
8:25 PM
DHS funding talks in limbo after Trump insists GOP pass SAVE America Act
New information:
- Trump publicly told Republicans, "don't make any deal on anything" and demanded that the SAVE America Act be 'welded in' to DHS funding, explicitly conditioning any DHS deal on passage of the elections bill.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune called Trump’s demand a 'wrinkle' in negotiations, said guaranteeing SAVE America’s passage is not 'realistic,' but confirmed DHS talks are ongoing.
- The article updates the shutdown length to 38 days and notes that the Senate is scheduled for a two‑week recess but may stay in session until DHS funding is resolved.
- Sen. John Kennedy said Republicans should accept Democrats’ offer to fund all of DHS except ICE, then use budget reconciliation to fund ICE separately, and Thune signaled that option is on the table.
- The piece details that ICE agents have already been sent to more than a dozen airports to help TSA, and that staffing shortages and long security lines are worsening as TSA workers remain unpaid.
6:51 PM
Trump demands SAVE America Act be tied to DHS funding amid airport chaos
New information:
- At a Memphis roundtable, President Trump publicly urged Republicans not to agree to any DHS funding deal unless it includes the Trump‑backed SAVE America Act requiring proof of citizenship to vote.
- Trump explicitly framed voter ID and proof‑of‑citizenship as "part of Homeland Security" and said the SAVE America Act should be "welded" into DHS funding legislation.
- The article reiterates that TSA workers have gone unpaid for more than a month, with security lines at some major hubs stretching up to three hours and ICE agents newly deployed to assist TSA at airports.
2:27 PM
Welcome to the spring of travel hell
New information:
- Axios details how unpaid TSA screeners are now routinely calling out and that hundreds have already left their jobs entirely to find paying work, worsening checkpoint delays.
- The article quotes aviation security expert Jeffrey Price warning that the system is 'very close to reaching a breaking point' and explicitly flags closures of smaller airports as a real possibility because they cannot reassign staff like large hubs can.
- It reports that President Trump is deploying ICE agents to airport checkpoints to try to relieve TSA staffing shortages and credits him with publicly thanking ICE and threatening to send in the National Guard if that is not enough.
12:17 PM
Sen Kennedy says he would accept Democrats' offer to 'open up everything' but ICE
New information:
- Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., publicly proposes accepting Democrats’ offer to reopen all of DHS except ICE, then immediately passing a Republican-only reconciliation bill to fund ICE.
- Kennedy states Republicans could craft an ICE budget and pass it without any Democratic votes, framing this as a way to end the shutdown within about a week.
- He sharply criticizes both parties’ current posture, saying the shutdown is "a Great Dane-sized whiz" on TSA and DHS employees who are working without pay as airport lines worsen.
12:02 PM
Trump delays strikes on Iran's power plants for 5 days. And, ICE deploys to airports
New information:
- NPR notes that as Congress returns this week, Senate Republicans will again need Democratic votes to advance a broader DHS funding package, rather than just TSA‑only fixes, before the next recess.
- The article highlights that Democrats are insisting Republicans fund 'all DHS components' instead of cherry‑picking immigration provisions, framing the partisan standoff in more detail.
- It reiterates that the DHS shutdown began Feb. 14, contributing directly to unpaid salaries, higher TSA absenteeism and resultant long airport lines now plaguing travelers.
March 22, 2026
6:03 AM
Nonprofits, unions and airports rally to feed TSA officers as shutdown drags
New information:
- Confirms that Saturday marks the 36th day of the DHS shutdown, aligning with Senate procedural developments.
- Ties the shutdown’s origin explicitly to Democrats’ refusal to fund ICE and CBP without operational changes after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.
- Details that more than 120,000 DHS employees, including roughly 50,000 TSA officers, are working without pay as a result.
- Describes concrete hardship responses on the ground—food distributions and emergency support for TSA agents—stemming from the same funding impasse covered in the Senate story.
March 21, 2026
9:40 PM
Airport security lines are long. Here's what to know if you're flying
New information:
- Updates the operational picture at specific airports with current wait times of up to two hours in Houston and Atlanta and a three‑hour early‑arrival advisory in New Orleans.
- Reports Philadelphia’s closure of three TSA checkpoints this week due to staffing shortages as the shutdown drags on.
- Adds new DHS data on more than 300 TSA officers quitting and high sick‑out rates in several major hubs.
- Introduces public comments from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warning that, absent a deal, the current disruption will be 'child's play' compared with what’s to come and that smaller airports may need to close.
- Notes the U.K. Foreign Office’s warning about "longer than usual queues" at U.S. airports linked to the shutdown.
- Mentions Elon Musk’s offer to pay TSA salaries and the legal prohibition on outside compensation for federal workers.
6:50 PM
Schumer gambit fails as DHS shutdown hits 36 days and airport lines grow
New information:
- Confirms that Schumer used a rarely used procedural tactic to force a vote to proceed to a TSA‑only funding bill, which Senate Republicans blocked.
- Pins the DHS shutdown length at 36 days as of Saturday, noting it is approaching last year’s record full government shutdown.
- Adds on‑record comments from John Thune saying it would be "very, very hard to explain" if Congress leaves town for a two‑week recess without funding DHS, and his prediction that Democrats will be held accountable.
- Notes that Senate Republicans and the White House made a new compromise offer to Democrats on Friday night after an administration letter on immigration reforms spurred two bipartisan meetings.
6:25 PM
Thune, GOP blast Dems in DHS standoff as Lankford says they fear ICE over Iran
New information:
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune held a Saturday press conference saying Democrats have 'no excuses' to keep blocking DHS funding and that Republicans and the White House have made repeated offers, including a new compromise bill that he says incorporates 'a lot of reforms' requested by Democrats.
- Sen. James Lankford charged that Democrats are 'more afraid of ICE than they are of Iran,' explicitly tying their ICE reform demands to the ongoing Iran conflict and homeland‑security threats.
- Fox reports that the latest in‑person negotiating session with Senate Democrats and Trump administration officials, including border czar Tom Homan, wrapped Friday, with Thune expressing hope talks would resume over the weekend.
- Republicans attempted and failed for a fifth time on Friday to fully reopen DHS, while a Schumer‑backed standalone TSA funding bill is headed for a Senate vote Saturday that is expected to fail because Republicans insist on reopening the entire department.
8:00 AM
DHS shutdown blows past one-month mark as Dems push to carve out ICE from any new funding deal
New information:
- Democratic leaders such as Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Rep. Ro Khanna are explicitly saying they will support reopening 'every aspect' of DHS except ICE, and are now publicly embracing a partial‑funding strategy that leaves ICE shut.
- The article spells out specific Democratic conditions for backing full DHS funding: banning masks for ICE agents, tightening warrant requirements for apprehending suspects in public, and prohibiting roaming patrols.
- Republicans, including Rep. Brian Mast, counter that ICE and Border Patrol are already funded under a previous 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' and accuse Democrats of misleading voters about which parts of DHS the shutdown is actually hitting.
- Democratic Rep. Seth Magaziner is cited backing a carve‑out approach, arguing that TSA, Coast Guard, FEMA and counterterrorism operations should be funded while ICE reforms are negotiated separately.
March 20, 2026
7:51 PM
Senate fails to advance DHS funding bill for 5th time, with no deal in sight
New information:
- The Senate failed for a fifth time since Feb. 12 to advance the House‑passed DHS funding bill, with Friday’s cloture vote failing 47–37, short of the 60 votes needed; 16 senators did not vote.
- Democratic Sen. John Fetterman voted with Republicans on this latest cloture motion, a notable cross‑party defection in the funding fight.
- A bipartisan group of senators held what Sen. Katie Britt described as a first‑in‑six‑weeks meeting with border czar Tom Homan on Thursday, characterized as a 'conversation' rather than a negotiation, with another session expected Friday.
- The White House’s latest counteroffer to Democrats included expanded use of body cameras, limits on civil immigration enforcement at schools and hospitals, and visible ID requirements for officers, but Democrats say the administration will not budge on masks and warrants.
- Chuck Schumer announced the Senate will hold a procedural vote Saturday on a bill to fund TSA alone, as he warned 'chaos at TSA is reaching a boiling point' amid long lines, unpaid officers calling off work or quitting, and warnings that some airports may need to shut checkpoints or even entire facilities.
7:49 PM
DHS shutdown tied for second-longest ever as Dems again block funding amid airport chaos, terrorism concerns
New information:
- Confirms this is the fifth time Senate Republicans have tried and failed to pass a DHS funding bill to reopen the department.
- States that at day 35 the DHS shutdown is now tied for the second‑longest shutdown in U.S. history.
- Details that Democrats have repeatedly attempted stand‑alone TSA and other partial DHS funding bills, which Republicans have blocked.
- Reports that after more than two weeks of what the White House calls 'radio silence', Democrats sent a new counteroffer that the administration labeled 'unserious', prompting the White House to publicly release a five‑part concessions list.
- Adds that a small bipartisan group of senators (Collins, Britt, King, Hassan, Murray) held a first substantive closed‑door meeting with border czar Tom Homan on Thursday and planned to meet again Friday, which Thune describes as a key test of whether a deal is possible.
3:00 PM
Thune reveals reason Democrats are 'scared' to reopen DHS
New information:
- John Thune tells Fox News Digital he believes Senate Democrats are "so afraid of their far-left base" whose "demand right now is defund ICE, defund law enforcement," and says that is why they are blocking DHS funding.
- Thune asserts that Democratic leaders have effectively instructed their members not to negotiate with Republicans on DHS until the White House publicized its offers, describing them as "paternalistic Democrat fathers" issuing an edict.
- He says Democrats are "running scared" and suggests they believe they "benefit politically" from keeping DHS shut down, even as he prepares yet another funding bill for a Friday vote that Democrats are expected to block.
- The article confirms Democrats have already blocked four attempts to reopen DHS over demands for stringent ICE reforms, and notes that several Democrats left the latest meeting with border czar Tom Homan and GOP senators without commenting.
1:58 PM
WATCH LIVE: Senate meets to consider DHS funding to end shutdown
New information:
- PBS/AP piece confirms the March 19 closed-door meeting involved 'a bipartisan group of senators' and White House border czar Tom Homan and that it was held on Thursday, March 19, with the Senate convening publicly at noon March 20.
- It specifies that funding for DHS lapsed on Feb. 14 and ties Democratic refusal to fund ICE and CBP to the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warns on X that current airport lines are 'child's play' compared to what will happen if TSA misses another paycheck, explicitly linking worsening TSA sick-outs to the unresolved shutdown.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune calls Homan’s direct involvement 'a pretty big deal' and says he cannot see the Senate taking its planned April recess if the shutdown is still ongoing.
- Sen. Susan Collins says Democratic demands are 'growing and growing,' while Sen. Patty Murray says that even with the White House at the table, the two sides remain 'a long ways apart.'
- The article lists Democrats’ core policy demands: judicial warrants for ICE to force entry into homes, visible identifying information on uniforms and removal of masks, mandatory body cameras, bans on operations at sensitive locations such as schools, churches and polling places, and independent investigations into misconduct.
March 19, 2026
8:22 PM
Lawmakers finally start negotiating an end to the DHS shutdown
New information:
- Confirms an approximately 75‑minute in‑person Capitol meeting on March 19 between border czar Tom Homan, Senate Democrats including Patty Murray, and Republican senators, described as the first significant in‑person DHS shutdown negotiation in weeks.
- Details Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s specific confirmation‑hearing pledge to require ICE agents to obtain judicial warrants to enter homes and businesses except in certain pursuit scenarios, and shows GOP negotiators touting it as a 'good‑faith' concession.
- Reports that Senate Democrats, led by Murray, are insisting Mullin’s warrant promise be put in writing as part of a firm GOP–White House offer, not just verbal assurances.
- Adds that Senate Majority Leader John Thune publicly warned he may cancel the upcoming Senate recess if the DHS shutdown is not resolved, saying it 'needs to get resolved…by the end of next week.'
- Quotes Sen. Katie Britt characterizing Mullin’s promise as proof he is the 'right choice' for DHS secretary and saying 'dialogue is certainly progress' after 48 days since passing the CR.
7:55 PM
Senators meet with border czar as lawmakers search for way out of DHS shutdown
New information:
- A group of senators, including top appropriators Susan Collins and Patty Murray, met Thursday with White House border czar Tom Homan for what participants called the first real dialogue in about six weeks on ending the DHS shutdown and reforming ICE.
- Republican Sen. Katie Britt emphasized the meeting was a 'conversation' rather than a negotiation and warned there was 'no guarantee of anything,' while Sen. John Hoeven said 'we made some progress' and Sen. Patty Murray countered that the sides remain a 'long ways apart.'
- Senate Minority Leader John Thune said the DHS funding impasse 'needs to get resolved by the end of next week' and that he 'can’t see' the Senate leaving for a two‑week recess if the shutdown continues.
- The article stresses that hundreds of TSA officers have quit as they work without pay and that airport screening has become chaotic, and notes Democrats’ efforts to fund individual DHS components and Republicans’ attempts at temporary full‑DHS funding have each been blocked by the other side.
- The piece situates the talks in the context of looming DHS leadership transition from Kristi Noem to expected incoming Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and notes Homan was sent in to oversee Minnesota operations after January killings by federal officers intensified scrutiny of DHS enforcement.
7:13 PM
Pence: Democrats’ DHS funding fight ‘unconscionable’ as US faces threats ‘at home and abroad’
New information:
- Former Vice President Mike Pence, in an interview with Fox News Digital, labeled Democrats’ refusal to fund DHS during ongoing operations against Iran as 'unconscionable.'
- Pence explicitly framed the situation as the U.S. taking the fight to 'the leading state sponsor of terrorism' and said it has 'never been more important' to ensure DHS has resources 'today.'
- He pointed to 'enemies within' the United States, citing recent twin terror‑style incidents — the Michigan synagogue attack and the fatal shooting of an ROTC instructor at Old Dominion University — as reasons DHS must be funded.
5:30 PM
Schumer keeps public guessing on how long Dems will refuse to fund DHS amid terror attacks
New information:
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer declined to say how long Democrats will hold out on DHS funding when questioned by Fox News, instead telling reporters to "ask the Republicans."
- The article details Democrats’ specific conditions for backing DHS funding: a ban on masks for ICE agents, stricter warrant requirements for apprehending suspects in public, and a ban on roaming patrols.
- The piece directly links the ongoing DHS funding lapse, now past the one‑month mark since Feb. 14, to four recent suspected domestic terror attacks (Michigan synagogue vehicle ramming, Virginia university shooting, New York explosives, and a Texas shooting) and quotes GOP leaders blaming Democrats for keeping the department unfunded.
12:07 PM
EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans to hold hearing on DHS shutdown risks amid travel surge
New information:
- House Homeland Security Committee, chaired by Rep. Andrew Garbarino, will hold a hearing next Wednesday specifically on security risks and employee financial hardship caused by the DHS shutdown.
- Senior officials from TSA, FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard and CISA are expected to testify on how the funding lapse is affecting their operations and personnel.
- The article cites internal figures that more than 360 TSA employees have resigned during the 34‑day partial shutdown and that roughly 10% of TSA agents did not report to work on Sunday.
- Roughly 170 million passengers are expected to travel through U.S. airports during the spring travel season, heightening concern over TSA staffing and delays.
- House Democrats plan to file a discharge petition to force a vote on legislation that would fund all DHS sub‑agencies except those handling immigration enforcement.
8:24 AM
Mullin presents a different vision for FEMA, sparking cautious hope
New information:
- At his March 19 confirmation hearing, Markwayne Mullin explicitly rejected eliminating FEMA, calling it an agency with a 'great mission' and saying FEMA staff 'want to do their job.'
- Mullin pledged to revoke outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s directive requiring her personal approval for FEMA expenditures over $100,000, describing himself as 'not a micromanager.'
- He promised to pursue reforms to speed FEMA reimbursements to states and localities, with a focus on better serving rural communities, and said he is already looking at candidates for a permanent FEMA administrator.
- Former FEMA Administrators Deanne Criswell and Pete Gaynor publicly welcomed Mullin’s remarks as a potentially 'meaningful first step' away from the upheaval and staff reductions FEMA saw under Noem.
- The article underscores that Trump’s FEMA Review Council report on overhauling the agency is months overdue, prolonging uncertainty about the future scope of federal disaster support.
12:01 AM
Mullin testimony doesn't "close the gap" on DHS shutdown
New information:
- At his March 18 confirmation hearing to lead DHS, Sen. Markwayne Mullin signaled openness to requiring judicial warrants before federal immigration agents enter private homes or businesses.
- Key Senate Democrats, including Sens. Richard Blumenthal, Brian Schatz, Chris Coons and Chris Van Hollen, told Axios Mullin’s testimony did not move them toward ending the DHS shutdown.
- Democrats emphasized they want ICE and Border Patrol reforms codified in statute rather than left to agency or presidential discretion, explicitly citing concern that Trump or Stephen Miller could undo any policy‑level concessions.
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.