EXCLUSIVE: GOP sets hearing on DHS shutdown as security concerns mount
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SPECIAL: House Republicans are sounding the alarm about the costs of a prolonged shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as funding cuts drag on with seemingly no end.
The House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing next Wednesday examining the security risks and financial challenges many DHS employees face as a result of the shutdown, Fox News Digital has learned. Senior officials from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) (agencies overseen by DHS) are expected to testify about how the funding cut has affected their operations and the well-being of their personnel.
House Republicans criticized nearly all Democrats for withholding their support for the DHS measure all year amid a massive spring travel season and the heightened threat environment amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. The department is expected to be shut down next week after Democrats criticized the White House’s latest counteroffer on reforms to immigration enforcement. Democrats demanded an end to the funding cuts.
“In the midst of one of our busiest travel seasons and facing increasing physical and cyber threats from the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and other adversaries, it is deeply troubling that DHS’s core mission continues to be undermined by Democrats’ political games,” Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-Y., said in a statement. “Every day this shutdown continues jeopardizes the safety of Americans and creates even worse financial hardships for front-line DHS personnel who work hard every day to protect the homeland.”
Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-Y., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, will hold a hearing next week on shutting down the Department of Homeland Security. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Aaron Schwartz/AFP via Getty Images)
TSA PAYMENT BILL WAS ANNOUNCED BECAUSE THE CLOSURE LEFT EMERGENCIES UNPAID AND MAKES AIRPORT SECURITY DIFFICULT.
The shutdown’s impact on air travel has become a growing headache for Americans; 170 million of them are expected to pass through the country’s airports during this year’s spring travel season.
According to the House Homeland Security Committee, more than 50,000 TSA employees did not receive wages during the extended shutdown, leading some to quit their jobs or not show up for work.
Among this cohort, multiple 360 TSA employees resigned During the 34-day partial closure, about 10% of agents did not report to work on Sunday, according to the TSA.
Passengers pass through the TSA security checkpoint while agents conduct screenings at Houston Bush International Airport. (Fox 26 Houston)
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These staffing restrictions have led to hours-long security lines at some of America’s largest travel hubs, but some airports still appear to be processing travelers relatively quickly.
Lines at New York City’s JFK and LaGuardia airports were under 20 minutes Wednesday evening.
FEMA staff, 85% of whom were employed during the fall 2025 shutdown, report a similar number working without pay. FEMA leadership has warned that the agency could have difficulty responding to a major disaster event in the event of a shutdown.
The hearing comes as Democrats are proposing legislation that would fund all DHS subordinate agencies that do not deal with immigration enforcement. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DY) announced Wednesday that Democrats plan to force a vote on the measure by filing a habeas corpus petition. The petition would need to get a handful of GOP signatures to trigger a vote on the underlying bill.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DY) speaks at a news conference at the Capitol on March 6, 2025 in Washington. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
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Garbarino criticized the Democrats’ proposal in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“I hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle realize that there is too much at stake to continue to block full funding of the department and that piecemeal funding efforts are failing to meet the moment,” Garbarino said.
Senate Republicans blocked similar legislation in the upper chamber, arguing that all DHS, including immigration enforcement functions, should receive year-round funding.
