Published on : 26 Mar 2026
THIS IS THE WEEK THAT DECIDES EASTER. The Senate is voting TODAY on a funding bill to reopen the Department of Homeland Security — without money for ICE’s deportation arm. Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced the vote Wednesday from the Senate floor: “Democrats have repeatedly said that they want to pay TSA, Coast Guard, FEMA and employees who defend America from cyber attacks. This bill would do it.” If the vote passes today, TSA workers could receive their first paycheck as soon as next week. If it fails — and the Senate goes on recess tomorrow as scheduled — the shutdown continues through April 10, encompassing all of Easter (April 5) without a possible deal.
Yesterday — Wednesday March 25 — was the most devastating single day of testimony in the 42-day shutdown. Ha Nguyen McNeill, the senior official performing the duties of TSA Administrator, testified before the House Homeland Security Committee and delivered a series of statements that should be seared into every US traveller’s awareness:
“This is a dire situation.”
“We are facing a potential perfect storm of severe staffing shortages and an influx of millions of passengers at our airports for the World Cup Games in less than 80 days.”
“The highest wait times in TSA history, with some wait times greater than four and a half hours.”
“We have already lost over 480 TSOs this shutdown.”
“On Friday, TSA agents will miss their third full paycheck since the shutdown began.”
“The agency will have reached nearly $1 billion in missed paychecks.”
“We have seen a more than 500% increase in the frequency of assaults on TSA officers since the shutdown began.”
“Some are sleeping in their cars, selling their blood and plasma, and taking on second jobs to make ends meet.”
These are not political statements. They are sworn congressional testimony. They are the operational reality of America’s airport security system on Day 42. And if today’s Senate vote fails, every single one of those conditions gets worse.
Published: March 26, 2026 (Thursday — DHS Shutdown Day 42) Senate vote: TODAY — Thursday March 26 — DHS-without-ICE funding bill Senate recess start: TOMORROW Friday March 27 — if vote fails today, next possible vote April 10 TSA third paycheck miss: TOMORROW Friday March 27 ← third, not second (McNeill confirmed) Cumulative missed paychecks: Nearly $1 billion — confirmed by McNeill Wednesday TSA officers quit this shutdown: 480+ — confirmed DHS/McNeill Wednesday TSA callout rate (some airports): 40–50% on certain days — McNeill Wednesday testimony Worst single-day callout: Houston Hobby 55% (March 14) — still the record National wait times: Up to 4.5 hours — “highest in TSA history” — McNeill Assault increase on TSA officers: 500% since shutdown began ← NEW devastating stat World Cup warning: Less than 80 days — new TSO hired today cannot be certified in time TSO training time: 4–6 months — any officer hired now misses FIFA entirely McNeill verdict: “DIRE SITUATION” — “potential perfect storm” Senate deal framework: DHS funded except ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) ICE ERO funding path: Via reconciliation separately — no Democratic votes needed Deal obstacles: Trump “not happy” | Hawley won’t vote for it | Schumer counteroffer rejected Schumer counteroffer: Sent Tuesday — Republicans said “contained nothing that had been talked about” Thune: “The time to end this is now” — scheduled vote TODAY New DHS Secretary: Markwayne Mullin — sworn in Tuesday by Pam Bondi in Oval Office Easter Sunday: April 5 — 10 days away If deal fails today + recess: No vote until April 10 — shutdown hits Day 55 All-time shutdown record: 43 days (2025) — broken in 2 days if no deal by March 28
The hearing held Wednesday before the House Homeland Security Committee — titled “Funding Lapse and Security Gaps: Assessing the Harmful Impacts of the DHS Shutdown on Americans” — produced the most comprehensive on-record account of the damage yet. McNeill’s testimony is available on the TSA’s own website. Every traveller who has waited in a 4-hour security line deserves to read it.
“This has led to the highest wait times in TSA history, with some wait times greater than four and a half hours,” McNeill said. “We are being forced to consolidate lanes and may have to close smaller airports if we do not have enough officers.”
The phrase “highest wait times in TSA history” covers the agency’s entire 25-year existence since September 11, 2001. The worst days of COVID reopening. The first 2025 shutdown. Every peak summer weekend. Every Super Bowl Sunday. Nothing in 25 years of TSA operations has produced wait times like the conditions being experienced at Houston and Philadelphia right now.
“The TSA has already lost more than 480 transportation security officers during this shutdown, while callout rates have accelerated. At some airports, 40 to 50% of their workforce is calling out on certain days.”
480 permanent resignations. Not callouts. Not temporary absences. Permanent exits from the TSA workforce. Each one requiring 4–6 months to replace. Each one a compounding gap that makes every subsequent departure slightly more likely as remaining officers feel the increased workload of working with a depleted team.
McNeill said they have also seen a more than 500% increase in the frequency of assaults on TSA officers since the shutdown began.
This statistic deserves to stand alone. A 500% increase in assaults on TSA officers is not primarily a story about passenger behaviour. It is a story about what happens when officers are overworked, underpaid (currently: $0), understaffed, and visibly stressed. Passengers under 4-hour wait conditions become aggressive. Officers under zero-paycheck conditions have less emotional reserve. The combination has produced a 6× increase in physical confrontations at checkpoints.
“If the agency remains shut down on Friday, we will have reached nearly $1 billion in missed paychecks.”
Friday’s third paycheck miss brings the cumulative total to approximately $1 billion across 61,000 TSA employees. $1 billion in withheld wages from people who are legally required to continue working. For context: that is roughly $16,400 per officer withheld since February 14.
“Many Transportation Security Officers have missed bill payments, received eviction notices, had cars repossessed or utilities shut off. Some are sleeping in their cars, selling their blood and plasma, and taking on second jobs to make ends meet. All while being expected to perform at the highest level when in uniform to protect the traveling public.”
“This is a dire situation. We are facing a potential perfect storm of severe staffing shortages and an influx of millions of passengers at our airports for the World Cup Games in less than 80 days.”
McNeill confirmed the World Cup training arithmetic: “It takes four to six months to train a TSA agent to work an airport security checkpoint. At this point, if we bring on any TSOs, those will not be deployed in time by FIFA.”
The FIFA 2026 World Cup begins in June 2026 and will be hosted across 16 US, Canadian and Mexican cities. An estimated 5–6 million international visitors are expected to pass through US airports during the tournament. With 480+ permanent resignations and a 4–6 month training pipeline, every day the shutdown continues is one more day the TSA workforce cannot be rebuilt before the World Cup.
The Senate is scheduling a vote on a spending bill that would fund DHS without money for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). This is the framework that emerged from Monday’s White House meeting and has been slowly building Republican support throughout the week.
What the bill would fund: ✅ TSA — full funding, paychecks resume ✅ FEMA — disaster response restored ✅ US Coast Guard — maritime security funded ✅ CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) — cyber defence funded ✅ CBP (Customs and Border Protection) — border operations funded ✅ HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) — federal investigations funded
What the bill would NOT fund: ❌ ICE ERO (Enforcement and Removal Operations) — the deportation arm
The ICE ERO path: Republicans would pursue a separate party-line reconciliation bill to fund ICE ERO alongside portions of the SAVE America Act — requiring only 51 Senate votes, no Democratic cooperation needed.
Can it pass today?
The math is brutally tight. Republicans hold 53 Senate seats. 60 votes are needed to advance (cloture). Republicans need at least 7 Democrats to vote yes.
Senate Democrats, including several of those who voted with Republicans to end the record-long government shutdown last fall, say they do not want to give ICE any funding until the White House agrees to more sweeping changes. Democrats say the latest framework does not include other demands, like requiring judicial warrants for immigration agents to enter homes and businesses and a ban on face coverings for agents.
Schumer said Democrats sent Republicans their counteroffer Tuesday morning — “a reasonable, good-faith proposal that contains some of the very same asks Democrats have been talking about now for months.” Republicans said the offer “contained nothing that had been talked about.”
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) said Republicans were “ready to go” and called on Democrats to “quit moving around.”
The blocking problem from the right: Some conservative Republicans including Sen. Josh Hawley have also raised objections, arguing that the deal without the SAVE America Act is insufficient. Any Republican defection makes the 60-vote threshold even harder to reach.
The honest assessment: It is possible but not certain that today’s vote succeeds. CNN assessed: “It’s looking like the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security could soon be over. Details are still being ironed out, and it’s not done until it’s done.”
If the vote fails and the Senate goes on recess tomorrow as planned, the next possible vote is April 10 — Day 55 of the shutdown — after Easter has already been devastated.
The Senate recess begins tomorrow — Friday March 27. Thune has suggested the recess could be cancelled if the standoff isn’t resolved — but he has not confirmed it will be cancelled.
Sen. Josh Hawley said: “I can’t imagine that we would leave without getting TSA reopened and some of these other agencies.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal agreed: “Senators should stay in town to make sure the Republicans agree to pay TSA.”
If today’s vote fails and Thune cancels the recess, senators remain in Washington and a new vote could be scheduled within days. If recess proceeds:
📅 March 27: Senate on recess — no vote possible 📅 April 5: Easter Sunday — TSA workers missed 4th paycheck (March 28) — shutdown in Day 50+ 📅 April 10: Senate returns — earliest possible new vote 📅 June: World Cup begins — TSA workforce cannot be fully rebuilt
| Airport | Current Wait | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Bush (IAH) | 4+ hours | Worst in US — ICE on-site, water distribution confirmed |
| Houston Hobby (HOU) | 3–4 hours | Both Houston airports elevated |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | 3–3.5 hours | Checkpoints still partially closed |
| LaGuardia (LGA) | 90 min | Single runway closes TODAY at 7AM Friday when Runway 4 reopens |
| New Orleans (MSY) | 2.5–3 hours | High callout rate |
| JFK | 60–90 min | Port Authority civilian support helping |
| Atlanta (ATL) | 45–60 min | Improved significantly this week |
| Boston Logan (BOS) | 30–45 min ✅ | Consistently cleanest major US airport |
| Denver (DEN) | 30–45 min ✅ | Lower callout — well-functioning |
| LAX | 60–90 min | Moderate |
| Chicago ORD | 60–75 min | FAA cap in 3 days — March 29 ⚠️ |
| San Diego (SAN) | 45–60 min | Single runway — separate issue |
Note: TSA wait times are NOT being published on airport websites at LaGuardia, JFK, Houston or Philadelphia due to the shutdown. These estimates are sourced from CNN/CBS/NBC on-site reporting within the past 48 hours.
Aaron Barker, president of AFGE Local 554, which covers airports in Georgia, told reporters the long lines won’t disappear immediately even if a deal is reached. “Until that paycheck hits that account, you can expect the same,” Barker said.
This is the most important statement for Easter travellers to understand. Even if today’s Senate vote passes and is signed into law this week, TSA wait times will not immediately return to normal. Officers who have been calling out will not immediately return until they have verified their paychecks have been restored. The system will take 1–2 weeks to fully restabilise after funding is restored. Easter (April 5) may still experience elevated wait times even if a deal is struck this week.
✅ Step 1 — Watch for the Senate vote result TODAY. This is the single most important political event for US air travellers since the shutdown began. Monitor CBS News, NBC News or The Hill for the cloture vote result. If it passes 60+, expect a floor vote on final passage within 24–48 hours. If it fails, Senate recess tomorrow and no deal until April 10.
✅ Step 2 — Houston travellers: 4+ hours, non-negotiable. If you are flying through IAH or HOU today or tomorrow, arrive four hours before your departure. No exceptions. CLEAR and PreCheck are not reliably available at these airports due to checkpoint consolidations.
✅ Step 3 — LaGuardia: Runway 4 reopens TOMORROW 7 AM. Today is the last day of LGA’s single-runway, high-cancellation crisis. From Friday morning, LGA returns to two-runway operations. Weekend LGA flights should see improved conditions — though TSA wait times at LGA will remain elevated until the shutdown ends.
✅ Step 4 — Easter travel: assume shutdown conditions through at least April 10. Even in the best-case scenario (deal today), paychecks hit accounts March 28–April 4, callout rates normalise April 4–10. Easter weekend (April 5) may still see elevated wait times. Arrive 3 hours early minimum for all Easter flights even at “clean” airports.
✅ Step 5 — Enrol in TSA PreCheck this week. It costs $78 and takes 20 minutes. Even during the shutdown, PreCheck lanes are consistently shorter than standard screening. At Boston, Denver and Dallas, PreCheck is operating normally. Enrol at tsa.gov/precheck — your card will arrive within 3–10 days.
Posted By : Vinay
Lastest News
2nd Floor, 39, Above Kirti Club, DLF Industrial Area, Kirti Nagar, New Delhi, Delhi 110015
Travel Tourister is a leading Travel portal where we introduce travellers to trusted travel agents to make their journey hasselfree, memorable And happy. Travel Tourister is a platform where travellers get Tour packages ,Hotel packages deals through trusted travel companies And hoteliers who are working with us across the world. We always try to find new and more travel agents and hoteliers from every nook and corners across the world so that you could compare the deals with different travel agents and hoteliers and book your tour or hotel with the one you have chosen according to your taste and budget.
Copyright © Travel Tourister, India. All Rights Reserved
Call
Enquiry