Hearing Report: House Homeland Security Committee Holds Hearing on the Harmful Impacts of the Current DHS Shutdown
March 25, 2026
Today, the House Homeland Security Committee held a hearing to discuss the harmful impacts of the DHS funding lapse and any potential security gaps. Witnesses included Ha Nguyen McNeill, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Administrator, Transportation Security Administration; Admiral Thomas Allen, Vice Commandant, Coast Guard; Nicholas Andersen, Acting Director and Deputy Director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; and Victoria Barton, Associate Administrator of External Affairs, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
As expected, this hearing was politically charged, with members of the Committee repeatedly blaming the administration and/or the other political party for a lack of DHS funding in fiscal year 2026, causing many DHS employees to work without pay or be repeatedly furloughed.
Notable Discussion Points from the Hearing:
- All the witnesses highlighted the devastating impact multiple shutdowns over the last six months have had on their employees and an erosion in mission readiness because these agencies cannot meet contractual obligations. All witnesses responded to questions about how the shutdowns are hindering their agencies’ abilities to carry out their core missions, with TSA expressing concern about long-term security impacts and FEMA noting that disaster recovery responses have been crippled.
- On the topic of pay, McNeill noted that TSA employees have worked 87 days without getting paid. This is roughly half of the fiscal year. As of Friday, March 27, nearly $1 billion in TSA payroll will not be paid on time.
- During the 43-day government shutdown in October and November 2025, around 1,110 Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) separated from TSA, representing a 25 percent increase in TSO separations from the same time in 2024.
- Since this funding lapse began in February, TSA has already lost an additional 480 officers as of March 24.
- The daily call out rates at airport checkpoints have accelerated from 4 percent (pre-shutdown) to 11 percent nationwide, with multiple airports experiencing greater than 40–50 percent call out rates because TSOs can’t afford to come to work. In her opening statement, McNeill noted TSA is now experiencing the highest airport wait times in its history, with some greater than 4.5 hours. She testified that TSA has been forced to consolidate checkpoint lanes and may have to close smaller airports with one or two lanes because the agency may not have enough officers to staff the checkpoint(s).
- TSA is also seeing a 500 percent increase in assaults on its TSOs.
- The FIFA World Cup is kicking off on June 11, less than three months from now, and TSA is expecting between 6-10 million additional passengers (beyond the normal summer surge) traveling through airports to see the games. McNeill noted that with attrition, they may not have enough TSOs to staff the FIFA World Cup airports appropriately. Further, even if TSA were able to hire new officers upon conclusion of this shutdown, those officers would not be able to work on the checkpoint until well after the FIFA World Cup has concluded because it takes TSA between four and six months to hire and train candidates to perform the screening duties at checkpoints. Lastly, she noted that the shutdown is negatively impacting TSA’s ability to procure and deploy new security checkpoint technology and counter-UAS equipment for those airports ahead of the games.
- In response to multiple questions about ICE, McNeill stated that ICE agents are assisting the TSA in non-screening roles at airports and helping to alleviate some of the burdens that TSOs are experiencing. For example, at some airports, ICE is working the credential authentication machines at the travel document checker position, which is not a specialized function, using TSA protocols, and after being trained. She also mentioned ICE agents helping with queue management, exit lane staffing, and assisting travelers with divestiture.
As a reminder, law enforcement personnel, including federal air marshals and CBP officers working in airports, have been and continue to be paid during all the shutdowns this fiscal year from resources previously provided in the One Big Beautiful Bill.
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