FUND DHS NOW

Congress should fund the Department of Homeland Security now, not after the next round of finger-pointing.

The case is simple: DHS is not some optional bureaucracy. It oversees airport screening, disaster response, cybersecurity, border operations, the Coast Guard, the Secret Service, and counterterrorism functions that sit at the center of basic public safety. Reuters notes that DHS includes TSA, FEMA, CBP, ICE, the Coast Guard, the Secret Service, and agencies tied to cybersecurity and counterterrorism.

The current standoff is already causing visible damage. Reuters reported this week that the DHS funding lapse has forced roughly 50,000 TSA officers to work without pay, helped push daily absences to about 10%, and contributed to checkpoint closures, long lines, and staff quitting during a heavy spring travel period.

This is what makes the shutdown fight so irresponsible. Lawmakers are not just arguing over abstract budget lines. They are gambling with airport security, travel reliability, and the morale of the people expected to keep showing up while Washington stalls. Reuters also reported that some small airports may have to shut down if screeners keep missing work because staffing gets too thin.

There is a legitimate policy fight underneath all of this. Democrats have pushed for limits on immigration enforcement tactics, while Republicans have insisted on moving forward with broader DHS funding. Reuters has reported that the dispute grew out of demands over immigration operations and oversight after deadly ICE incidents earlier this year.

But even if that fight is real, shutting down or starving DHS is still the wrong tool. If lawmakers want tighter oversight, different enforcement rules, or leadership changes, they should vote on those issues directly. They should not leave airport security officers unpaid and the public stuck with the consequences while both parties test whose message wins on cable news.

There is also a broader economic argument for funding DHS. When airport operations become unreliable, delays spread, business travel gets disrupted, and public confidence erodes. Reuters reported that airline CEOs have urged Congress to end the standoff as the industry heads into a record spring travel season with 171 million passengers expected.

The politics here are easy to understand. Each side thinks the pressure helps them. Republicans want to frame themselves as defending security. Democrats want to force changes to DHS conduct. But the public is unlikely to reward chaos forever, especially when the practical result is longer TSA lines, unpaid workers, and the possibility of airport closures.

Fund DHS now. Then fight about immigration, oversight, and reform in the open, through actual legislation. Essential security and transportation functions should not be held hostage while Washington tries to score points.

That is not toughness. It is dysfunction.