US Senate moves to end airport chaos

2026-03-27 - 09:30

Senators voted in favour of a bill to fund all of the department of homeland security except the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol for 2026. (EPA Images pic) WASHINGTON: The US Senate moved Friday to end a budget standoff that has forced thousands of airport security staff to work without pay and caused long delays at airports. A lapse in government funding has left Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staff – who screen passengers, baggage and cargo – working without pay since mid-February. Airports in several cities have warned travellers to arrive hours earlier than usual because of long security lines. The funding dispute centred on demands by opposition Democrats for reforms of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authority, which has faced nationwide criticism of its aggressive tactics against undocumented immigrants and for the killings of two US citizens this year. Senators voted in favour of a bill shortly after 2.00am (0600 GMT) to fund all of the department of homeland security (DHS) – which is the TSA’s parent agency – except ICE and Border Patrol, for 2026. The bill would provide funding for the TSA, the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, among other agencies. It must now be passed by the House. More than 300 TSA staff have quit and unscheduled absences have surged since the shutdown began, leading to extended travel delays and airports struggling to screen travellers. The federal government began deploying ICE agents to assist in providing security, drawing sharp criticism from Democrats, rights activists and some Republicans, who warn ICE personnel are not trained for such work and that it risks escalating tensions in already stressed environments. President Donald Trump, who promised on Thursday to pay airport security officers, previously said he would not sign a funding deal unless Congress also passes a contentious bill to overhaul how citizens register to vote in US elections.