The Democrats’ partial shutdown of the government, which has left the Department of Homeland Security underfunded and unable to operate efficiently, has now gone on for over 44 days. Dems have demanded radical and unacceptable reforms to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or they’ll continue to throw their endless temper tantrums, no matter how many Americans it hurts.
The latest Schumer Shutdown has caused Transportation Security Administration agents to go unpaid, resulting in over 500 officers quitting, massive no-shows, and hardships for agents who can’t pay their bills while Congress goes home for vacation.
Once again, however, it would appear that the Dems have been outfoxed by President Trump, who on Friday ordered the DHS to get creative with the budget and use funds provided by the One Big Beautiful Bill to finally pay the agents what they’re owed.
The money is now going out, and the results are already dramatic:
JUST IN🚨: Thanks to ICE agents and President Trump's executive order, the TSA lines at Houston airport have completely EMPTIED OUT compared to last week!
— Officer Lew (@officer_Lew) March 30, 2026
Fewer illegals = shorter waits for Americans. 🇺🇸✈️
pic.twitter.com/OyRheuGxfo
Despite seeing lines as long as four hours at airports in recent weeks, travelers are now seeing things get back to normal on Monday:
Major U.S. airports that suffered massive disruptions for weeks after 50,000 Transportation Security Administration security officers went unpaid since mid-February say operations are returning to normal.
Airports in Baltimore, Houston, New York, New Orleans, and Dallas, which have all experienced massive delays in recent weeks, all reported very short lines on Monday. The standoff brought chaos and in some cases security lines topping four hours, the longest in the TSA's nearly 25-year history.
NEW: Our @FoxNews team at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport spoke to a handful of TSA agents who confirmed they did paid this morning via President Trump's executive order. Though, one agent told our team that his paycheck was short about 30 hours that he had worked. Two of…
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) March 30, 2026
Two of the biggest problem airports in recent days, Houston & ATL, both looking significantly better this morning with no TSA lines at the moment.
MORE: Making It Official: Trump Signs Presidential Memorandum to Pay TSA Employees
It was just on Friday that the pain the Democrats were inflicting on Americans was reaching fever pitch:
Absences on Friday hit a high since the shutdown began with about 12.4% of workers not showing up, or 3,560 and massive lines were reported at many major airports. More than 500 airport security officers have quit since February.
More than a third of workers did not show on Friday at New York JFK, Baltimore, Atlanta, and New Orleans and 45% of workers did not show up Friday at Houston's two airports.
Trump had already sent in ICE agents to help with the crowds, a move that was effective even while it sent leftists into paroxysms of rage.
It's Happening: ICE Shows Up at Multiple Airports As Schumer Shutdown Travel Chaos Intensifies
Many are literally furious that the TSA agents aren’t continuing to be punished:
As the partial DHS shutdown continues, Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) says the standoff between Democrats and Republicans “is not done yet” and says “the president is illegally paying, apparently, TSA agents.”
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) March 29, 2026
“If there's one power that Congress has, it's the power of the purse. This… pic.twitter.com/bXbCroQmvi
“If there's one power that Congress has, it's the power of the purse. This president has consistently and universally said that he, in fact, has that power,” he says.
How twisted is that?
Between paying the agents and bringing in ICE, the president has outplayed the Democrats in their juvenile game. Let’s hope that, as more and more agents receive their checks, the nightmare at the airports is over.
Editor’s Note: Democrats are fanning the flames and raising the rhetoric by comparing ICE to the Gestapo, fascists, and secret police.
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