DHS Shutdown Persists as Mullin Confirmation Hearing Shows No ICE Reform Deal but Signals FEMA Policy Shift
A continuing DHS funding standoff has left roughly 260,000 workers unpaid and prompted hundreds of TSA resignations and sharply elevated sick‑call rates that, coupled with a major storm system, have driven thousands of flight cancellations and raised warnings that some airports could face partial closures. At his confirmation hearings, Sen. Markwayne Mullin did not secure an ICE‑reform deal—Democrats say statutory changes are needed—but he signaled a policy shift at FEMA, rejecting elimination, pledging to rescind top‑down spending micromanagement, speed reimbursements and better serve rural communities, moves welcomed by former FEMA leaders.
📌 Key Facts
- A partial DHS shutdown that began Feb. 14 persists, leaving roughly 260,000 DHS employees unpaid and stemming from Democrats’ demand that ICE and Border Patrol restrictions be codified after the Minneapolis shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
- The shutdown has severely strained aviation security: more than 300 TSA officers have quit, thousands more are working without pay, national TSA callout/sick‑out rates have exceeded 10% (peaking around 10.19%), and some large hubs have seen much higher local rates (e.g., Atlanta ~37%, Houston up to 55%), prompting warnings that airport checkpoints or smaller airports could face closures.
- Storms plus staffing shortfalls have produced widespread travel chaos — thousands of flights were canceled or delayed nationwide (more than 4,800 cancellations and over 12,800 delays reported on Monday alone, with continued multi‑thousand disruptions into Tuesday), long security lines, checkpoint closures and travelers sleeping in airports.
- A broad, erratic weather system is producing heavy snow and blizzard conditions in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan (some areas 2+ feet), while late‑day severe thunderstorms and a heightened tornado/high‑wind threat are expected to spread into the mid‑Atlantic (including Washington, D.C.); the same pattern has driven Nebraska wildfires and widespread power outages.
- Separately, an unusually early heat wave is hitting the West (record‑threatening temperatures and multi‑day triple‑digit forecasts in places like Phoenix), increasing wildfire danger and straining power grids.
- Hawaii was hit by catastrophic flooding from a separate system — parts of Maui received more than 20–23 inches of rain, producing landslides, road closures, collapsed homes, opened shelters and tens of thousands without power.
- At his March 18–19 confirmation hearing to lead DHS, Rep. Markwayne Mullin signaled openness to some immigration‑enforcement limits — including the possibility of requiring judicial warrants before federal agents enter private homes or businesses — but several key Senate Democrats (including Blumenthal, Schatz, Coons and Van Hollen) said his testimony did not move them to end the shutdown.
- Democrats emphasized they want ICE and Border Patrol reforms written into statute rather than left to agency or presidential discretion, warning that policy‑level concessions could be reversed by future administrations or advisers.
- On FEMA, Mullin explicitly rejected eliminating the agency, pledged to revoke Kristi Noem’s directive requiring her personal approval for FEMA expenditures over $100,000, promised reforms to speed reimbursements (with a focus on rural communities), is vetting candidates for a permanent FEMA administrator, and former FEMA leaders called his remarks a potentially meaningful first step — even as the Trump FEMA review council’s report remains overdue, prolonging uncertainty about the agency’s future.
📊 Relevant Data
Latinos accounted for about 90% of interior ICE arrests under the Trump administration in the first eight months of 2025, up from prior trends, with noncriminal Latino ICE arrestees entering detention increasing sixfold monthly compared to 2024.
UCLA CNK Unseen Latino ICE Detentions Dramatically Reshaped Under Trump Jan2026 — UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute
In 2025, there were 16 shootings involving ICE agents, and by early 2026, at least 9 deaths were related to immigration law enforcement, including the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
US witnessed many ICE-related deaths in 2026. Here are their stories — Al Jazeera
Alex Pretti and Renee Good, killed in the Minneapolis shootings, were White anti-ICE protesters.
As officials disparage Pretti and Good, families of Black people killed by police have deja vu — Associated Press
Minnesota's Somali population grew from approximately 25,000-30,000 in 2010 to about 107,000 by 2025, making it the largest Somali diaspora in the US, driven by refugee resettlement from the 1990s Somali civil war under the U.S. Refugee Act of 1980 and subsequent family reunification.
How did MN get the nation's largest Somali population? — Star Tribune
Current ICE policy, as per a 2025 internal memo, allows agents to forcibly enter homes without a judicial warrant using administrative warrants, contradicting legal precedents.
📰 Source Timeline (17)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 19, 2026
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.