Miss your flight? TSA chaos at your gate? Thank a Democrat.

Lance Gooden
Tue, 17 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000
Tsa, Dhs, Government shutdown, Trump, Democrats, Gop, Democrat shutdown, Missing flights, Airports, Coast guard, Opinion & analysis, Transportation security administration, Department of homeland security, Delayed flight

If you’ve flown out of a Texas airport lately, you’ve felt it: longer security lines, missed flights, and mounting frustration. Texans aren’t alone. Airports across the country are snarled, especially as spring break gets under way.

Why the hassle? Democrats in Washington have refused to fund the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, causing mayhem at the departure gate. The fallout is hitting travelers first.

As this shutdown drags on, more employees are calling off or quitting for steadier work — which only worsens staffing shortages and delays.

This marks the third funding lapse in six months. Instead of doing their job, Democrats are using the DHS as leverage to undermine President Trump and stall the work Americans elected him to do.

The consequences are immediate. More than 95% of TSA employees are working without pay during this shutdown. Many have taken second jobs to cover basic bills. At the same time, the TSA has cut staffing, which means fewer screeners and longer lines — even as the security mission stays the same.

In Texas, wait times have reportedly reached three hours at some airports over the past week. That translates into real costs: lost time, missed flights, and families stranded because Congress can’t pass a basic funding bill.

And this chaos could end overnight. Congress could fund the government and get the DHS back to work. Instead, Democrats are choosing disruption — and putting national security at risk — to block Trump’s mandate to secure the border, end illegal immigration, and Make America Safe Again.

TSA employees have seen this movie before. During the 43-day shutdown in 2025, some slept in their cars to make ends meet. As this shutdown drags on, more employees are calling off or quitting for steadier work — which only worsens staffing shortages and delays.

RELATED: Spring break blues: DHS highlights outrageous airport conditions amid Democrat shutdown

Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The TSA isn’t the only agency taking the hit. The Coast Guard, housed within the DHS, has more than 7,000 employees going without pay and roughly 3,000 furloughed. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has furloughed about 65% of its staff. FEMA is also feeling strain as its Disaster Relief Fund drains, threatening the agency’s ability to support state and local recovery efforts.

This shutdown burdens Americans, weakens our security, and undercuts the people responsible for protecting the nation.

President Trump and Republicans won in 2024 with a clear mandate. DHS employees are trying to carry it out. Congress should not sabotage them.

Enough. Democrats must stop holding national security hostage and fund the DHS now. Anything less betrays the American people.