04.02.26

In Two Record-Breaking Shutdowns, Senate Democrats Achieve No Policy Wins and Cause a Whole Lot of Hardship

Having Refused Over 15 Times to Fund the Department of Homeland Security, Democrats’ Shutdown Will End With Them Denying Funds to Law Enforcement and Achieving Nothing

DEMOCRATS BLOCKED FUNDING FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 16 TIMES DURING THEIR SHUTDOWN AND STILL REFUSE TO FUND BORDER SECURITY

“Unlike Republicans, Democrats want to DEFUND the Police, Border Patrol, and all Immigration Enforcement… That’s why we are going forward to fund our incredible ICE Agents and Border Patrol through a process that doesn’t need Radical Left Democrat votes… In the meantime, we will continue to use funding from THE GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL, which is giving Record Tax Rebates to Citizens all over the Country, to ensure that ICE and Border Patrol Agents are paid ON TIME, and IN FULL, as we have been doing for them throughout the Democrat Shutdown.” – President Donald Trump

“[A]s is now clear to everyone, Democrats didn’t actually want a solution. They wanted an issue. Politics over policy. Self-interest over reform. Pandering to their base over actually solving a problem. It’s an appalling commentary on the state of the Democrat Party.” – Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.)

  • “The Senate sent its deal to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security back to the House Thursday morning — marking what should be the beginning of the end of a historic partial government shutdown.” (Politico: Senate gives House a second chance to deliver DHS funding – 4/2/26)
  • “Republicans have said they will seek three full years of funding for both of these agencies in a party-line budget reconciliation package that will bypass Democrats’ opposition.” (Fox News: Senate passes bill to fund most of DHS after House GOP caves – 4/2/26)
  • Last week, “Democratic senators said… that there were still bipartisan talks ongoing. But Republicans, increasingly skeptical that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer would ever cut a deal, signaled that they viewed the negotiations as effectively over.” (Politico: Senate agrees to end shutdown for most of DHS – 3/27/26)
  • “‘That ship has sailed. They kissed that opportunity goodbye by failing to provide funding for those agencies,’ Thune told reporters early Friday morning.” (Punchbowl News: AM: Senate passes DHS funding — without ICE and CBP – 3/27/26)

DEMOCRATS ACHIEVED NONE OF THEIR STATED DEMANDS, PROVING ONCE AGAIN THAT SHUTTING DOWN THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO CHANGE POLICY

“Congressional Democrats have done real damage to the appropriations process by repeatedly forcing government shutdowns and refusing to fund entire agencies. Their refusal to fund ICE and Border Patrol leaves our borders and our country less secure and sets a precedent that they may one day come to regret.” –Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine)

  • The FY26 DHS funding bill initially agreed to in January that Democrats walked away from included several of their priorities and reforms. (U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations Democrats: BILL SUMMARY: Homeland Security Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations Bill – 1/20/26)
  • When the FY26 DHS appropriations package was released, Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said a DHS shutdown or CR would not accomplish Democrats’ goals:
    • “ICE must be reined in, and unfortunately, neither a CR nor a shutdown would do anything to restrain it… [u]nder a CR and in a shutdown, this administration can do everything they are already doing—but without any of the critical guardrails and constraints imposed by a full-year funding bill.” – Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.)
  • “The reason Democrats started what is now the longest shutdown in DHS history is because they were demanding dramatic reforms to the way ICE operates. They now get zero of those reforms after negotiations fell apart in the Senate. None… So what did this DHS shutdown accomplish, other than hurt a lot of people & create chaos at airports?” – Fox News’ Bill Melugin
  • “Democrats gave up their last bit of leverage by agreeing to this deal.” (Punchbowl News: AM: Senate passes DHS funding — without ICE and CBP – 3/27/26)
  • “Democrats were also able to object on the floor overnight to GOP efforts to fund ICE via unanimous consent. But again, Democrats didn’t extract a single significant concession from Republicans, so this was nothing more than a political exercise.” (Punchbowl News: AM: Senate passes DHS funding — without ICE and CBP – 3/27/26)
  • This is a repeat result of Democrats’ record-setting 43-day shutdown last fall, which ended with Democrats receiving no policy wins. (HuffPost: Knives Are Out For Chuck Schumer After Democrats Cave On Shutdown – 11/10/25)
  • Just like this past November, Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) got none of the demands he said were essential:
    • “Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and counterpart Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) released 10 policy demands to ‘rein in ICE’ in a letter Wednesday to Republican leadership amid a standoff over DHS funding.” (Axios: Read: Dems outline 10 demands to GOP in ICE funding fight – 2/4/26)

DESPITE SCHUMER BEING PROUD OF SENATE DEMOCRATS FOR ACHIEVING NOTHING, DEMOCRATS’ DHS SHUTDOWN CRIPPLED THE TSA AND CAUSED SIGNIFICANT HARDSHIPS FOR ITS EMPLOYEES WORKING WITHOUT PAY

  • “Schumer said he was proud of Democrats for largely sticking together.” (The Wall Street Journal: Senate Approves Funding for Most of DHS, Moving to End Airport Crisis – 3/27/26)
  • “More than 450 TSA agents have quit in the nearly six weeks since the partial government shutdown began, resulting in the ‘highest wait times in TSA history,’ a top Department of Homeland Security official told a House committee Wednesday.” (Axios: TSA staffing crisis escalates as agents quit, stay home – 3/25/26)
    • “Of the TSA officers who quit during the shutdown, almost half have over three years of experience and a third have over five years, the agency said.” (NBC News: More than 400 TSA officers have quit since shutdown began – 3/21/26)
    • “DHS officials say that even if the shutdown were to end soon, its impact on TSA staffing levels will weigh on the agency well into the busy summer travel season.” (Axios: TSA staffing crisis escalates as agents quit, stay home – 3/25/26)
    • “The staffing losses aren't possible to make up before the U.S co-hosts the World Cup starting June 11, the senior official running TSA, Ha Nguyen McNeill, told a congressional oversight panel Wednesday.” (Axios: TSA staffing crisis escalates as agents quit, stay home – 3/25/26)
  • “McNeill told lawmakers that TSA has been affected by shutdowns for roughly half the fiscal year, and it's taking a toll on the workforce.” (Axios: TSA staffing crisis escalates as agents quit, stay home – 3/25/26)
    • “A woman in Indiana who put off dental surgery because she doesn’t know if she can afford the copay. A Florida couple with young children who are depleting their savings. A grandmother in Idaho who plans to sell her car to pay the rent. They are among about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers” going without pay. (Associated Press: TSA officers share how they’re scraping by without pay – 3/25/26)
    • TSA “[e]mployees are dealing with ‘eviction notices, vehicle repossessions, empty refrigerators and overdrawn bank accounts,’ [Aaron Barker, the local American Federation of Government Employees union president for Atlanta] said, while the travelers they serve may not even realize the hardship.” (CNN: TSA workers face reality of working without pay as passengers unaware of the shutdown see long lines – 3/18/26)
    • “‘I’ve heard from officers who cannot afford copayments for cancer treatments or office visits for their sick children,’ Barker said.” (CNN: TSA workers face reality of working without pay as passengers unaware of the shutdown see long lines – 3/18/26)