Republicans are putting pressure on Democrat lawmakers over the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, which is creating long lines at airports for spring break travelers.
In a post on X, DHS shared a video of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt being asked by a reporter what the White House’s message is “to the American people that are struggling” during this shutdown.
“President Trump wants the Department of Homeland Security, he wants TSA, he wants FEMA, he wants the brave men and women of our United States Coast Guard to receive their paychecks, and he wants this department to be fully funded, and fully reopened,” Leavitt answered.
Leavitt added that Americans who are “showing up to an airport and facing incredibly long wait times and lines” should call their Democrat member of Congress and “tell them to fund the Department of Homeland Security.”
“It’s completely ridiculous that the American people are suffering as a result of these partisan games that are being played by Democrats on Capitol hill,” Leavitt added.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) noted that the DHS shutdown was “impacting important functions like cybersecurity, Border Patrol, TSA, Coast Guard, and FEMA.”
“We are 25 days in Democrats’ DHS shutdown, and now they don’t even want to sit down and have negotiations,” Thune wrote in a post on X. “This shutdown is impacting important functions like cybersecurity, Border Patrol, TSA, Coast Guard, and FEMA, which are all more important than ever in these dangerous times.”
As Breitbart News reported, the DHS shutdown — which came after funding ran out in February, has led to Americans facing long lines at airports such as the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas, as airports are facing TSA staffing shortages.
The Atlanta International Airport advised that passengers should arrive “at least 3 hours before” their flights, while Hobby Airport advised that passengers should “arrive 4-5 hours” before their flights.
