WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security is about to shut down after a political impasse in Congress over immigration enforcement.
The situation has the potential to impact many Americans – including travelers, boaters, storm victims and tens of thousands of DHS employees – for an indefinite period of time. Amid tenuous and slow-moving negotiations between Democrats and the White House, it's unclear how long the shutdown, which only involves a small but important piece of the federal government, will last.
Critically, DHS includes the Transportation Security Administration, the division of the federal government most responsible for airport security. During last year's record-breaking shutdown, many TSA workers slept in their cars, received eviction notices, lost child care services and sold their blood and plasma as their paychecks were delayed.
Though they were expected to continue working, TSA employee absences rose, causing flight disruptions. Delays and cancellations in plane travel were also caused by air traffic control issues, which won't happen this time around since the shutdown won't pertain to the Transportation Department.
Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told lawmakers Feb. 11 that the roughly 61,000 employees at more than 430 commercial airports who'll be impacted by another funding lapse can't go through it all over again.
