Shutdown stalemate over ICE threatens service members, FEMA, TSA

The nation’s airlines and military could once again bear the brunt of a government shutdown as lawmakers remain stuck on how to avoid a Feb. 1 government shutdown.

Democrats on Thursday walked away from a bipartisan deal to fund the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Education, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Health and Human Services. This means that these areas could see their services limited or completely disrupted due to a lack of funds.

It could be a smaller repeat of the October shutdown that lasted 43 days over Democrats’ health care demands. This time, the payments crisis would be more limited.

DHS agents in Charlotte, North Carolina, on assignment. (Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)

While employees in the Legislature, Justice Department, Interior Department and others can expect to continue receiving their salaries, the failure of the defense bill still threatens military salaries.

“Too often, our hard-working men and women, especially those in the armed forces, “—have had their livelihoods held hostage by political shenanigans in Congress over disagreements over unrelated issues,” Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., a ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, said Thursday.

His thoughts were echoed by Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., another committee member.

“Our military has already endured a Schumer-manufactured government shutdown and should not be subjected to another,” Scott said.

As with the last shutdown, the funding hold also threatens airport employees who work for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), included under the DHS program. In October, several weeks without a paycheck led to flight delays and cancellations, as employees who were supposed to ensure flight safety – such as air traffic controllers – began looking for side jobs and alternative sources of income.

The repeated travel delays are of particular concern to Alaska Republican Rep. Nick Begich, who said his constituents could be particularly hard hit during a season when the state is especially reliant on imports.

Rep. Nicholas Begich, R-Alaska, right, pictured next to the Anchorage airport. (Michael Siluk/Getty; Bill Clark/Getty)

“Our state depends on aviation for almost everything, and Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is one of the busiest cargo airports in the world. An outage anywhere in the system due to a government shutdown could mean that an Utqiaġvik family would miss a critical medical appointment in Anchorage, or that food and cargo deliveries would be delayed for days in remote communities,” Begich said.

“Disruptions caused by a shutdown and understaffing raise real safety concerns in Alaska, especially during the winter months,” he added.

In addition to transportation and military pay, a second shutdown could also affect government Medicaid and Medicare services. Because of funding threatened by the HHS bill, the country could experience a similar bottleneck in access to health care for low-income people, people with disabilities, and older adults.

Asked about these potential closure areas, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said voters should take note.

“I think people should weigh the consequences of the administration,” Reed said.

DEMS DHS CLOSURE THREAT WOULD HIT FEMA, TSA WHILE IMMIGRATION FUNDING REMAINS INTACT

The War Department declined to say when service members would receive their next paycheck or whether they thought it was likely to be delivered on time.

Federal agents arrest a person along Lake Street on January 14, 2026 in Minneapolis. (Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The four-bill spending package fell flat in the Senate on Thursday when Senate Democrats and seven Senate Republicans derailed a procedural vote needed to advance it.

Lawmakers remain divided on the DHS portion of the package.

The legislation comes without key demands made by Democrats regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an agency that operates under DHS.

KEY SENATOR WON’T FUND DHS AS ICE AND FEDERAL AGENTS ENTER HIS STATE

Following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti earlier this month — the second deadly clash between immigration authorities and civilians in January — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats said their support was conditional on strengthening ICE warrant requirements, ending roving patrols, requiring ICE to partner with state and local law enforcement, a code of uniform conduct, a no-mask policy and body camera requirements.

Senate Republicans are currently working to overcome obstacles built within their ranks. A handful of Republican senators are frustrated by the nature of the compromise deal reached by Trump and Schumer, by the billions of dollars attached to the original package and by the repeal of a provision that allows senators to sue for $500,000 those whose phone records were subpoenaed by former special counsel Jack Smith as part of his Arctic Frost investigation.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., hold a joint news conference at the U.S. Capitol on January 8, 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

The Upper House hopes to complete its work on the new package Friday evening and send the amended package to the House.

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DesJarlais said he believes Democrats can continue to push for the changes they want to see without endangering parts of the government.

“This should stop,” DesJarlais said of the political impasse. “There are many other ways for Democrats to achieve their policy goals rather than engaging in tactics simply designed to post something on their social media profiles.”