US homeland security shutdown could mean airport delays, travel groups say

2 hours agoMadeline HalpertReutersTravel groups and airlines are warning of potential disruption as the US federal government partially shut down after lawmakers failed to reach a deal on funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) .Several groups, including Airlines for America, said in a joint statement on Friday that without a deal, the risk of unscheduled absences by Transportation Security Administration workers increased, causing flight delays and longer wait times."Travellers and the US economy cannot afford to have essential TSA personnel working without pay," they said.A partial government shutdown began at midnight (05:00 GMT) on Saturday after Congress failed to pass a bill to fund DHS operations.In exchange for a funding deal, Democrats had been pushing for more restrictions on US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which will not be significantly affected by the shutdown because of funding from the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" last year. Democrats have been demanding reforms after federal agents killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good, two Minneapolis residents who were protesting the Trump administration's immigration raids in Minnesota, in January.They have asked for a number of changes within the DHS including a ban on immigration agents wearing face masks, better identification for officers and stricter rules for obtaining warrants. On Thursday, Senate Democrats blocked two funding bills because the measures did not include the immigration reforms. The most recent funding measure passed at the end of January only funded the DHS for two weeks while lawmakers from both sides of the aisle attempted to reach a deal on immigration reforms. On Friday, US President Donald Trump said "we'll see what happens" when asked by reporters whether he anticipated cutting a deal with Democrats to fund the DHS."We always have to protect our law enforcement," Trump added. The shutdown is expected to affect several agencies under the DHS umbrella, including the US Coast Guard and TSA. Last year, the US government saw its longest full shutdown in history, which lasted 43 days and led to many federal workers going without pay as well as flight chaos. Democrats at the time were pushing for more health care funding to address rising health care costs. Congress is set to take a recess until 23 February, meaning the shutdown could continue until Trump's State of the Union address the following day. However, lawmakers could be called back to Washington earlier if they seem on the brink of a deal. The partial shutdown is unlikely to cause as much travel chaos as last year's because the Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees air traffic controllers, has already been funded for the rest of the year. But TSA agents - who fall under the DHS - may have to go without pay if the shutdown drags on, meaning people could see longer lines at airports if workers call in sick. The US Coast Guard, which the DHS also oversees, could also be affected. Vice Admiral Thomas Allan told lawmakers that going a few days without funding would mean about 56,000 workers going without pay, leading the agency to suspend missions that were not critical or lifesaving. DHS has $165bn (£120bn) from Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act - which also included $75bn to fund ICE - that it could use to address some of the funding shortfalls.