DHS Partial Shutdown Hits Day 74 as TSA Pay Cliff Approaches May 8

The Department of Homeland Security partial shutdown reached its 74th day Wednesday April 29. That makes it the longest funding lapse in DHS history, surpassing the 35-day government shutdown of December 2018 to January 2019. About 412,000 DHS workers are either furloughed or working without pay. The shutdown affects Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Administration, the Secret Service, the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The current lapse began February 15. House and Senate negotiators have failed to reach a deal on three separate continuing resolutions. The sticking point is a Republican demand for an additional $70 billion in border security funding tied to ICE detention capacity expansion and CBP technology upgrades. Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma has led the Senate position on the supplemental funding package. Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to bring a clean Senate-passed continuing resolution to the House floor.

Approximately 838 TSA officers nationwide called out sick last weekend, according to data first reported by CNN. The figure is up from 412 the previous weekend. TSA officers received their last paycheck on April 24 covering the pay period ending April 12. The next pay period closes April 26 with checks scheduled to issue May 8. Without a funding deal, those checks will not deposit. Newark Liberty International, Chicago O'Hare, and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson have reported wait times above 90 minutes during peak hours.

CBP officers at land ports of entry continue to work without pay. The Border Patrol Council issued a statement Tuesday calling on Congress to either pass a clean continuing resolution or include border supplemental funding in a separate vehicle. The union represents roughly 16,000 agents. Border crossings reported in March totaled 162,000 according to CBP data, the lowest monthly figure since 2020. Detention capacity sits at 41,200 beds against a current population of 38,800.

The Senate passed a clean DHS continuing resolution by a 64 to 32 margin on March 18. The House did not take up the bill. The House passed a DHS funding package March 25 by a 215 to 209 margin that included $70 billion in additional border security funding plus changes to asylum eligibility rules and a sunset provision on the Temporary Protected Status program. The Senate did not take up that bill. Both chambers have been in negotiations through informal staff channels since early April.

The Office of Management and Budget published shutdown contingency guidance on March 1 covering essential operations. Coast Guard search and rescue continues to operate. Air traffic control under the Federal Aviation Administration is unaffected because FAA sits inside the Department of Transportation, which has full year funding. FEMA disaster response operations continue with personnel working without pay. The agency has used carryover Disaster Relief Fund balances to maintain field operations in Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee where active recovery is underway.

Federal civilian employees affected by the shutdown total roughly 248,000 workers paid through the DHS appropriation. About 164,000 contractors working on DHS contracts have been told to stand down or have had work authorizations suspended. The Government Accountability Office has not yet published a cost estimate for the current lapse. The 2018 to 2019 shutdown cost the federal government approximately $11 billion in lost productivity according to a Congressional Budget Office report from January 2019.

Travel industry groups have raised alarms about Memorial Day weekend if the shutdown continues. American Automobile Association projects 47.1 million Americans will travel between May 21 and May 26, with 4.6 million flying. Airlines for America sent a letter to congressional leadership on April 22 warning that TSA staffing strain could cause significant flight disruption. Major hub airports report TSA staffing levels at 78 to 82 percent of normal during peak shifts. Pre-check enrollment processing has been suspended since February 15.

Reconciliation as a vehicle remains on the table for the Republican border supplemental. Senate Majority Leader Mike Crapo and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise have discussed including the $70 billion DHS package inside the fiscal year 2027 reconciliation instructions. That path would bypass a Senate filibuster but would require Senate Parliamentarian sign-off on Byrd Rule compliance. The fiscal year 2027 budget resolution has not yet been adopted in either chamber.

The next pay period miss on May 8 has been identified as the operational pressure point by both sides. The 2018 to 2019 shutdown resolved on day 35 after TSA call-outs created Friday morning operational failures at LaGuardia and Newark. The current lapse has already passed twice that duration. The Senate returned to session Monday April 27. The House returned Wednesday April 29. Whether either chamber moves on a funding bill before May 8 will determine whether the shutdown ends in early May or stretches into Memorial Day weekend with airport operations and federal services strained further.