The Department of Homeland Security shutdown has become the longest in US history, with internal Republican divisions and a two-week congressional recess leaving no clear path to a resolution.
While the rest of the federal government remains open, approximately 100,000 DHS employees now face the prospect of going without pay until the summer.
The funding gap, which began on February 14, has now surpassed the 40-day mark, eclipsing the previous record set during the 2018-2019 impasse.
As reported by Politico, the crisis has shifted from a standard partisan divide into a fractured internal battle within the Republican party. Despite the mounting pressure, both the House and Senate adjourned Monday for a two-week recess without reaching a deal.
The effect on the nation’s airports is becoming more difficult to ignore. While a White House executive order last Friday restored pay for around 50,000 TSA screeners, the aviation system remains under immense pressure.
According to Politico, nearly 500 TSA officers have resigned since the funding gap began, leaving security checkpoints at several major terminals severely understaffed.
At major hubs including JFK and LAX, passengers have faced unpredictable security lines that have frequently peaked at over two and a half hours. In some terminals, wait times have reportedly stretched so long that passengers have missed international flights, prompting President Donald Trump to threaten the deployment of the National Guard to assist with crowd control.
Morale within the department is reportedly at an all-time low. One administration official told Politico that the decision to pay airport screeners while leaving others unpaid "is not playing well inside the building."
The legislative process stalled Friday when House Republicans rejected a Senate-passed measure that would have funded most of the DHS but excluded Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Conservative Republicans have resisted any deal that lacks immigration enforcement funding, which became a catalyst for the current standoff following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis.
While the death of Good on January 7 sparked initial protests, the subsequent killing of Pretti on January 24 led Senate Democrats to formally block the funding package, demanding that any future ICE budget be tied to strict body-camera mandates and a ban on urban immigration roundups.
Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana told Politico that Republicans may eventually need to bypass Democrats entirely through the budget reconciliation process.
“The only thing I know to do is to take the Democrats out of it,” he said.
The timing of the shutdown is particularly sensitive as the department prepares for several high-profile events. DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis warned in a statement that the lack of funding is hindering security preparations for the upcoming World Cup and America 250 anniversary celebrations.
“Democrats need to stop holding these hard-working DHS employees’ pay hostage and putting politics above national security,” she said.
Some lawmakers have framed the record-breaking shutdown as a recurring part of the budget process.
“The House has their process, we have ours and this happens periodically,” Democratic Senator John Hoeven told Politico, though he acknowledged that the party may eventually have to pass a unilateral bill to "take this off the table."
With Congress not scheduled to return until April 13, an administration official granted anonymity to speak candidly told Politico that “people are thinking this will go into the summer.”
Judge orders Trump administration to halt White House ballroom construction unless Congress OKs it
Kristi Noem ‘blindsided’ by report about her cross-dressing husband
Crunch talks between resident doctors and ministers set to continue
DWP gives new deadline for benefit claimants to make crucial switch
Judge pauses construction of Trump’s beloved White House ballroom
