Will You Call Your Senator about the DHS Shutdown?

Congressional Democrats partially shut down the U.S. government just after midnight on Friday, March 8, 2026. Congress failed to fund departments like the Department of Homeland Security, the Pentagon, the State Department, and the Treasury. The Justice Department, Veterans Affairs, FDA, and the EPA continued operations because they received prior funding.

The shutdown means that nonessential federal employees in the affected agencies are furloughed. However, essential personnel – air traffic controllers, TSA staff, and some law enforcement officers – continue to work but without pay. ICE is not included because they were funded in previously passed legislation.

Congressional Democrats have stalled for 18 days even while negotiating with the White House. However, Democrats finally sent their latest counteroffer around 11:00 p.m. last night, according to an article by Cami Mondeaux in an article posted at the Deseret News. While White House officials are reviewing the details, “top Republicans on Capitol Hill said the latest proposal ‘didn’t change much from where we were.’” 

“There are things that, in my view, have been significant gives on the part of the White House, but the Democrats seem intent on dragging out this political issue,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters on Tuesday.

Democrats have been engaging directly with the White House on funding for DHS for the 2026 fiscal year since early February. Congress was on track to pass a spending bill that had been negotiated between both parties, but Democrats scuttled those plans after a pair of deadly shootings by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis in January.

Since then, Democrats have demanded major reforms to how immigration officers can operate, including body cameras and judicial warrants. But as talks drag on, Democrats say the White House isn’t offering enough while Republicans say the minority party is refusing to compromise….

Federal funding for DHS lapsed at midnight on Feb. 14, leaving the department shuttered for over a month. That’s caused challenges for agencies beyond those that deal with immigration, such as the Transportation Security Administration that has dealt with major airline delays due to staffing shortages.

TSA agents have not been paid since the beginning of the shutdown. Some agents are calling in sick while others have quit their TSA jobs to find steadier work. Even though Democrats want to fund TSA in a stand-alone bill, Republicans fear that such a move “would leave all agencies funded except those that have to do with immigration and border security.”

In his article published at The Blaze, Lance Gooden states that Americans stuck with “longer security lines, missed flights, and mounting frustration” should blame Democrats. 

This marks the third funding lapse in six months. Instead of doing their job, Democrats are using the DHS as leverage to undermine President Trump and stall the work Americans elected him to do.

The consequences are immediate. More than 95% of TSA employees are working without pay during this shutdown. Many have taken second jobs to cover basic bills. At the same time, the TSA has cut staffing, which means fewer screeners and longer lines – even as the security mission stays the same.

With TSA wait times reaching three hours at some airports in Texas, Gooden says this “translates into real costs: lost time, missed flights, and families stranded because Congress can’t pass a basic funding bill.”

And this chaos could end overnight. Congress could fund the government and get the DHS back to work. Instead, Democrats are choosing disruption – and putting national security at risk – to block Trump’s mandate to secure the border, end illegal immigration, and Make America Safe Again.