By Arden Farhi, Olivia Rinaldi and Allyson Ross Taylor
March 24, 2026 / 10:13 PM EDT / CBS News
As the Department of Homeland Security shutdown entered its second month, Senate Republicans and the White House appeared to be inching toward a framework to reopen the department — but no deal had yet been reached.
CBS News reached out to all 532 House and Senate offices (three House seats are vacant) asking how they would restore DHS funding, what they tell travelers enduring long airport security lines, and what they say to TSA employees facing a second missed paycheck.
Senate response: fault and fixes
Twenty Senate offices offered substantive replies. Republicans largely blamed Senate Democrats for blocking a bill to fully fund DHS that the House has passed twice, saying Democrats are holding up action in pursuit of immigration policy demands. Several GOP senators also praised TSA employees and urged a fast resolution to pay the agency’s workforce.
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi accused Senate Democrats of stalling, saying the extended shutdown is unacceptable. A spokesman for Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota stressed the importance of ending long airport lines and getting TSA workers paid. Other Republicans, including Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, warned against piecemeal funding that isolates components of DHS, arguing the risk of breaking the department apart is too great.
Many Democrats pointed to Republican resistance to measures that would reopen most of DHS while negotiations over immigration enforcement continue. Senate Democrats have sought reforms of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection after fatal January shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti involving federal agents. That demand has been a central reason Democrats say they are withholding support for a clean funding bill.
Some Democrats have proposed separating ICE and CBP funding so the rest of DHS can operate while immigration reforms are negotiated. Senate Republican leaders recently floated a version of that idea, proposing to fund most DHS components but exclude ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations unit — which, critics note, already received substantial funding through last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Democratic senators described policy changes they want tied to funding, including mandatory body-worn cameras for agents, limits on masks during enforcement actions, and new judicial-warrant requirements in certain circumstances. Sen. Alex Padilla of California said he won’t support funding without accountability measures to address alleged misconduct by ICE and CBP. Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico likewise said he won’t back ICE funding without restoring “the rule of law.”
Several Democrats also criticized the president’s public position that he won’t sign any bill until Congress passes his election-related SAVE America Act, saying federal workers and travelers should not be used as leverage. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado said Americans shouldn’t be pawns in political games, and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon urged Republicans to join Democrats to fund TSA immediately and pay federal workers.
House response: it’s the Senate’s turn
More than 60 House members replied. Numerous House Republicans said they had already acted and that it was up to the Senate to move next. Rep. Mike Haridolopos, a Florida Republican who voted for the House’s DHS funding bill, said the Senate must stop stalling and get legislation to the president’s desk, lamenting long lines, missed flights and stranded families as the shutdown’s tangible costs.
House Democrats called on Republicans to approve targeted measures to pay TSA and other critical personnel while immigration policy talks continue. Rep. Laura Friedman of California, who co-sponsored legislation to pay TSA workers during negotiations, criticized unified GOP control of Congress and the White House for failing to prevent chaos at airports.
Several House Republicans signaled willingness to compromise. Rep. Nick LaLota of New York, after visiting TSA staff at LaGuardia, said he supports restoring DHS to pre-shutdown funding levels if that helps reach a deal. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska said he is willing to back a Senate compromise that can clear 60 votes. Republicans noted the House will likely need to vote again on any measure the Senate sends over.
House authors and advocates continued to press the case for full funding. Rep. Kevin Cole of Oklahoma, who authored the House bill to fully fund DHS, said he is doing everything he can to get the department financed as the lapse entered its 40th day. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas said Republicans in the House “have done our job” by passing funding measures.
Democratic House members reiterated calls for tying funding to ICE reforms and for protecting public servants. Rep. Gwen Moore of Wisconsin urged colleagues to pass measures to pay TSA, the Coast Guard, FEMA, and the Secret Service while pursuing ICE policy changes. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida said Democrats are fighting to fund agencies like TSA while pushing for an overhaul of ICE policies she characterized as dangerous. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa warned that the people paying the price for the shutdown are frontline workers — TSA agents, air traffic controllers, Coast Guard members and FEMA staff — not members of Congress.
Where things stand
Lawmakers on both sides expressed frustration. Republicans accused Democrats of blocking straightforward funding; Democrats accused Republicans of refusing to separate enforcement funding from the rest of DHS or to accept policy reforms. Leadership in both chambers continued negotiations, including proposals to fund most of DHS while excluding parts of ICE, but lawmakers were still far apart on conditions and timing.
Meanwhile, TSA employees faced the prospect of another missed paycheck and travelers continued to encounter longer lines and delays. Members of Congress said they were hearing from constituents inconvenienced at airports and from federal workers struggling without pay, and many urged swift action to restore funding one way or another.