TSA Begins Seeing Relief as DHS Remains Shutdown

The partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stretched to over 45 days amid a deadlock over immigration funding. The impasse began February 14 when Democrats demanded changes to ICE and Border Patrol operations following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis: Renee Good, killed by an ICE agent on January 7, and Alex Pretti, killed by Customs and Border Protection officers on January 24.

This lapse severely disrupted air travel, leaving TSA officers unpaid for weeks. Hundreds of screeners have quit and thousands more have missed shifts, triggering nationwide airport bottlenecks with wait times stretching up to four hours at the hardest-hit hubs.

To alleviate the crisis, President Trump signed a directive Friday, directing funds to compensate screeners. Most TSA officers began receiving retroactive back pay Monday, though union officials noted concerns about missing overtime payments and improper tax withholding. The broader DHS shutdown persists, with both chambers unable to reconcile their competing funding bills.

 

Gridlock Over Obamacare Subsidies Keeps Government Shutdown

Federal operations remain partially shuttered after Congress failed to reach a budget deal by Thursday night, forcing thousands of government workers into furlough and suspending non-essential services nationwide. The standoff has intensified amid President Trump’s threat to urge GOP senators to eliminate the filibuster for this bill, prompting pushback from the Senate GOP leadership, which has vowed to protect the filibuster

Senate Democrats seek renewal of enhanced Obamacare subsidies, a central sticking point in talks. Republicans criticize the cost of those subsidies, which they say benefit largely wealthier people. With both sides entrenched, critical deadlines for federal agencies and assistance programs loom for next week, though two federal judges ruled today that the USDA must use $5-6 billion in contingency funds to fund the SNAP program. The Trump administration has signaled openness to using those funds, asking for guidance from the court.

As of Friday, informal negotiations remain in progress as the Senate remains in recess until Monday.

 

Shutdown Ends, For Now

The longest federal government shutdown in history ended last Friday, with no permanent concluding agreement reached. Under the temporary agreement, funding for federal government agencies was restored until February 15, after which government funding will expire unless a new agreement occurs.

The shutdown began on December 22, after President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, failed to come to a agree on funding for a wall along the US-Mexican border. Trump wanted at least $5.7 billion in funding for building a barrier and increased border surveillance, while Democrats criticized such measures, with Pelosi going as far as to call a wall an “immorality.”

During the shutdown, Trump and Pelosi tussled over other areas of government, including Trump’s refusal to authorize a trip by Pelosi to the Middle East and Pelosi refusing to allow Trump to give the State of the Union speech in the House chamber.

Trump agreed to end the shutdown last week, without receiving any promise for funding, but also saying that he will attempt the same fight again next month. If Congress does not allocate funding for a border wall, Trump has threatened, he will declare a national emergency to divert funding to begin some of the construction. Trump cites the number of people crossing illegally and crime committed by those in the country illegally as justifying such a decision. Democrats have criticized Trump for this threat, as have some Republicans, saying that such as move creates a bad precedent for future administrations.