House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called on House Republicans to end the recess and reopen the Department of Homeland Security as the partial government shutdown drags on.
DHS Shutdown Disrupts Airports And Federal Agencies
The partial government shutdown has stretched over a month, largely due to disputes over funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol.
On Sunday, Jeffries, speaking on ABC’s This Week, stressed that Congress needs to act immediately.
“The first thing that needs to happen is that the House of Representatives under the leadership of Speaker Johnson and Republicans need to bring us back into session so we can actually reopen the Department of Homeland Security, stop creating chaos at airports all across the country and forcing people, including what happened to TSA agents for weeks, to work without pay,” Jeffries said.
He added that a bipartisan Senate bill, which funds the bulk of DHS except ICE and Border Patrol, has already passed the upper chamber twice and has support from every senator.
“House Democrats support that legislation, so we can reopen every other aspect of the Department of Homeland Security, including TSA, Coast Guard, FEMA, and our cybersecurity professionals, while continuing to work on the effort to get ICE under control,” he said.
GOP leaders are pursuing a budget reconciliation plan to fund ICE and Border Patrol, which some Republicans oppose, reported The Hill.
DHS Shutdown Pressures TSA Pay, GOP Funding Fight
Last month, President Donald Trump declared an emergency during the DHS shutdown.
He ordered pay for more than 60,000 TSA workers who had been working without wages and directed officials to use existing TSA funds to ease financial strain.
Trump also urged Republicans to reject any deal with Democrats unless it included the “Save America Act,” opposed a proposed $5 billion cut to ICE funding, and pushed lawmakers to pass a combined bill by eliminating the filibuster.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized Democrats led by Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for prolonging the shutdown.
He cited a letter from Airlines for America warning of airport delays, cancellations, and travel disruptions during Spring Break and ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with a record 171 million passengers expected.
Disclaimer:Â This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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