President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a bill funding most of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ending a 76-day partial government shutdown that caused chaos and frustration at major airports across the country.
The legislation restores funding to numerous agencies under DHS, including TSA.
The U.S. House passed the bill earlier Thursday. A similar measure cleared the U.S. Senate last month.
Estimates from Airlines For America suggest TSA has shed about 1,000 workers since the partial shutdown began in February. These resignations, combined with callouts, left many airports severely understaffed, resulting in security wait times of three hours or more in some cities.
The problem was most acute at airports such as Atlanta, Houston Bush, Houston Hobby, New York-JFK, and New Orleans.
The situation was somewhat remedied in March when Trump instructed DHS leadership to find a way to pay TSA personnel. Within a few days, workers began to receive backpay, and staffing shortages eased. In the weeks since, TSA operations at most major airports have returned to normal.
The bill signed by Trump on Thursday does not fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Border Patrol, a win for congressional Democrats, who have pushed to reform those agencies. Democrats’ refusal to fund ICE in its current form helped trigger the partial shutdown, and the party has largely stood firm in its bid to block support for the agency where possible.
Trump and DHS leadership, in turn, blamed Democrats for airport security holdups in February and March.
Unlike TSA, ICE and Border Patrol employees continued to receive paychecks through the partial shutdown, mainly due to appropriations in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Republicans have said they plan to approve additional funding for ICE and Border Patrol with separate measures, and without Democratic backing.
Restored funding should give TSA the resources it needs to handle increased air traffic around the FIFA World Cup and U.S. 250th anniversary celebrations this summer.
