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By Matthew Robinson and Billal Rahman
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President Donald Trump has said that Democrats are "fully to blame" for travel chaos at airports due to an ongoing partial government shutdown.
Writing on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump said: "The Democrat's purposeful DHS SHUTDOWN is causing chaos at the airports. These Lunatics are being totally unreasonable in their Radical Left asks. They are FULLY TO BLAME, and must pay a big price, for the good of our Country, in the Midterm Elections. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
On February 14, Congress let funding expire for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - which oversees the Transportation Security Administration - amid a disagreement over immigration enforcement.
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Thousands of TSA workers have been working without pay since then. The shutdown has worsened staffing shortages at major airports, leading to longer security lines.
Wait times at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport exceeded two hours on Tuesday morning, with long lines forming at security checkpoints, CNN reported.
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DHS said that more than 300 TSA agents have resigned so far, with many officers missing their first full pay check by Monday since the shutdown started.
“The Democrats' reckless DHS shutdown is causing TSA officers to go without pay for the third time in nearly six months," Lauren Bis, a DHS spokesperson, said in a statement. "These political stunts are causing unneeded financial hardship for our TSA officers and their families. Now, 366 TSA officers have left the force. Because of this DHS shutdown, Americans are facing HOURS long waits at airports across the country. Democrats must reopen DHS now."
The agency said that on March 15 and 16, callouts rose by more than 50 percent in Houston, and more than 30 percent in New Orleans and Atlanta, leaving fewer officers to screen a growing number of travelers.
The highest single-day airport callout rate reached 55 percent at Houston Hobby International Airport on March 14, DHS said.
The funding stalemate was triggered after Democrats pushed for changes to immigration enforcement following the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis during a large-scale operation.
The White House released a letter on Tuesday outlining proposed changes to the DHS as part of ongoing efforts to strike a deal with Democrats and end the nearly five-week partial government shutdown.
The proposals include expanding bodycam footage for federal agents, requiring clear identification, limiting immigration enforcement at sensitive locations such as schools and hospitals, and increasing oversight of detention facilities. The letter also reaffirmed that U.S. citizens would not be deported.
Democrats have sought further changes, including requiring judicial warrants for property entries and restricting the use of face coverings by agents. The White House has rejected the proposals citing operational and safety concerns.
"All Democrats are asking is for ICE and CBP to play by the same rules that your local police officer does. Senate Republicans would rather keep DHS shutdown," Democratic Senator Dick Durbin wrote on X.
DHS oversees multiple federal agencies, including TSA, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Secret Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Update 3/18/26 10.12 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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