Why travelers should prep for a DHS shutdown with no end in sight

WASHINGTON – A federal agency critical to air travel and disaster relief is mired in a funding crisis − and there's no immediate end in sight.

Lawmakers recessed from Capitol Hill on Feb. 13 just before a partial government shutdown reached the Department of Homeland Security. Influential senators jetted off to Munich, Germany, for a security conference. Some were still overseas for Presidents Day, while other lawmakers went back to their home districts.

With members of Congress still peppering the country and globe, the likelihood of bringing a swift resolution to the funding impasse is low. Since federal immigration enforcement officers killed Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good in two separate incidents in Minneapolis in January, Democrats have been demanding that the White House and congressional Republicans accede to a list of reforms for DHS.

"Just look at every police department across the country. They don't walk around in masks," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said on CNN on Feb. 15. "They don't walk around unidentified."

But Trump administration officials and GOP leaders have publicly said some of the Democrats' asks are nonstarters, including a proposed ban on mask-wearing. They argue masks help to prevent agents from being doxed. The White House and Democrats have continued negotiating, but those talks weren't quick or productive enough to prevent the funding lapse from starting at the end of last week.

"Clearly, if they wanted a solution, they would at least allow additional time to negotiate," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said on Fox News on Feb. 12, referring to Democrats.

Even if the White House and Democrats manage to reach an agreement, it would take several days for lawmakers to return to Washington. They're scheduled to be recessed for a full week, with the next Senate vote not set to take place until Feb. 23.

Trump's State of the Union address − the first of his second term − is scheduled for the following night, Feb. 24.

What are the most likely scenarios for funding DHS?

A view of the sign in front of the Homeland Security Department in southeast Washington, D.C., on February 15, 2026.

Despite the shutdown, much of DHS is still working.

Officials have said they can tap into a funding surplus for Immigration and Customs Enforcement for an indefinite period of time. TSA employees are still manning airport lines, though without pay. And the Coast Guard remains on the job, though it has scaled back activities to its most critical operations.

Eventually, DHS will need to be fully funded again to avoid big problems. The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for instance, has warned that the crisis will "severely disrupt" his ability to reimburse states for disaster relief costs.

That could happen in one of two ways: First, Democrats and the White House could reach an agreement, though there's still no indication that the two sides are any closer to doing that. As pain from the shutdown increases – with longer airport security lines, possible delays in disaster relief or uproar from DHS workers themselves – the pressure will increase on both Democrats and the Trump administration to end the standoff.

Alternatively, Democrats could decide they want to buy themselves more time and push for another short-term funding extension to fully fund DHS again while their talks with the White House continue. They bucked that option already, though, blocking a test vote in the Senate on Feb. 12.

Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.