Latest government shutdown affects the Department of Homeland Security, TSA, FEMA and more

Lawmakers failed to reach an agreement by a midnight deadline on Friday (Feb. 13) to fund the agency and its workforce of more than 260,000 people as lawmakers left Washington for a week-long recess.

The Department of Homeland Security is currently without funding.

Lawmakers failed to reach an agreement by a midnight deadline on Friday (Feb. 13) to fund the agency and its workforce of more than 260,000 people as lawmakers left Washington for a week-long recess.

At the center of the debate is the behavior of federal immigration officers, particularly in Minnesota during the recently concluded “Operation Metro Surge.” Democrats argue that after Renee Good and Alex Pretti, U.S. citizens, were shot and killed by immigration and border patrol officers, respectively, in Minneapolis, reforms need to be implemented before the party signs off on funding.

“Democrats will not support a blank check for chaos,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. “This vote today asked a simple question: Will you rein in ICE’s abuses or will you vote to extend the chaos. Republicans chose chaos. The Democrats, we refused.”

Dems have laid out a list of demands to secure DHS funding, but reaching a full consensus has been problematic. Certain asks, like body camera requirements for immigration officers, have bipartisan support, while others, like prohibiting agents from wearing masks to conceal their identities, have prompted push back from GOP lawmakers. In their eyes, removing masks would make it easier for officers to be doxxed.

The shutdown also comes after two DHS officers reportedly lied about their involvement in the shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant in Minnesota in January. Both officers were placed on administrative leave, a rare acknowledgment of improper behavior.

A short-term extension was nearly passed Thursday (Feb. 12) to extend the time for further negotiations, but Democrats blocked the measure before the recess. A White House counteroffer was swiftly rejected as “insufficient.”

The DHS shutdown marks the third such shutdown to affect the government in recent months. After the record-setting shutdown that dragged into 2026, the partial shutdown is a bit more limited in scope. However, DHS’s purview doesn’t only deal with immigration enforcement. The department is also responsible for disaster response and airport security.

Despite the pause in funding, immigration enforcement is likely to continue, as would FEMA’s response to natural disasters. However, Transportation Security Administration workers, some 64,000 employees, could see the effects. Travelers across the U.S. could feel the effects of a prolonged shutdown if it lasts more than a few weeks. Additionally, some TSA leaders are still feeling the effects of the long government shutdown that lasted months in 2025.

“We saw a lot of folks have to take on second jobs, making for extremely long work days,” said Ha Nguyen McNeill, the acting administrator of the TSA, at a House hearing on Wednesday. “Some are just recovering from the financial impact of the 43-day shutdown. Many are still reeling from it. We cannot put them through another such experience.”