Record-high passenger wait times at airports, but no deal yet on the 40th day of the shutdown
Passengers wait in a security checkpoint line at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Wednesday, March 25, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J.
Phillip) 2026-03-25T16:39:30Z WASHINGTON (AP) — Air travelers are experiencing the highest wait times ever under the Transportation Security Administration, the agency’s acting head told Congress on Wednesday, as the latest offer to end a funding impasse and put restraints on President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda met fierce resistance.
The TSA’s Ha Nguyen McNeill described the mounting hardships facing unpaid airport workers — piling up bills and eviction notices, even plasma donations to make ends meet — and warned that lawmakers must ensure “this never happens again.” “This is a dire situation,” she said.
Yet on the 40th day of the standoff involving the Department of Homeland Security, there was no easy way out in sight.
Neither Republican senators, who made the latest offer, nor Democrats, who are demanding more changes in immigration enforcement , appeared closer to a compromise.
Trump, who initially appeared to have given his nod to the deal, has declined to lend it his full support or put his political weight behind making sure it is approved.
Top officials at agencies under the DHS umbrella spoke at a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee about the potential risks of security lapses unless the partial government shutdown comes to an end.
A deal teeters on collapse DHS has gone without routine funding since mid-February.
Democrats are insisting on changes to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement and mass deportation operations after the killings of two citizens in Minneapolis by federal officers during protests.
The latest proposal would fund most of DHS except for the enforcement and removal operations of U.S.
Customs and Immigration Enforcement that have been central to the debate.
The plan would cover other aspects of ICE as well as Customs and Border Protection.
While the offer added some new restraints on immigration officers, including the use of body cameras, it excluded other policies that Democrats have demanded.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said they needed to see real changes.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York pressed for “bold” changes at ICE.
Republican leaders said Democrats are putting the country at risk. “They know this is crazy,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
But conservative Republicans als
原文链接: AP News