MEDIA ADVISORY: Chairman Garbarino Announces Hearing with TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard, CISA on Democrat Shutdown Impacts

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY) announced a full Committee hearingfor next Wednesday, March 25, to examine the consequences of the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, in particular the impacts on the department's core missions, federal workforce, and interagency security coordination across the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), United States Coast Guard (USCG), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). For over a month, funding for DHS and its components has been stalled in the Senate, despite bipartisan passage of a Fiscal Year 2026 DHS appropriations bill by the House of Representatives in January and March.

"Amid one of the busiest travel seasons and as we face heightened physical and cyber threats from the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism and other adversaries, it is deeply troubling that DHS's core mission continues to be undermined by Democrats' political games. As a lifelong New Yorker, we must never forget that this Department was created in the aftermath of the worst terrorist attacks on U.S. soil," Chairman Garbarino said. "Each day this shutdown continues, it jeopardizes the safety of Americans and creates worsening financial hardship for the frontline DHS personnel who work hard every day to protect the homeland. For the second time in six months, personnel like TSA security officers, FEMA emergency management professionals, CISA's cyber defenders, and U.S. Coast Guardsmen are working without the certainty of their next paycheck, while others have been put on leave--further weakening our security posture and undermining emergency response and preparedness efforts. I appreciate officials from these components for coming before the Committee to provide insight into the real-world consequences of this shutdown and how each component is working to accomplish its mission despite it. I hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle recognize that there is far too much at stake to continue blocking full funding for the department, and that any piecemeal funding efforts simply fail to meet the moment."

DETAILS:

What: A House Committee on Homeland Security hearing entitled, "Funding Lapse and Security Gaps: Assessing the Harmful Impacts of the DHS Shutdown on Americans."

When: Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM ET

Where: 310 Cannon House Office Building

WITNESSES:

Admiral Thomas Allan
Vice Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard

Ms. Ha Nguyen McNeill
Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Administrator, Transportation Security Administration

Mr. Nicholas Andersen
Acting Director and Deputy Director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Mr. Gregg Phillips
Associate Administrator, Office of Response and Recovery, Federal Emergency Management Agency

Witness testimony will be added here. The hearing will be livestreamed on YouTube and will be open to the public and press. Press must be congressionally credentialed and should RSVP in advance.

BACKGROUND:

During a shutdown, many of the Department's more than 250,000 employees, who dedicate their lives to keeping the American people safe, are forced to work without pay. In February, House Homeland Security Committee and Appropriations Committee Republicans issued statements condemning Senate Democrats' actions, warning that the funding lapse puts the safety and security of Americans at risk. On March 5, House Republicans passed a bipartisan full-year DHS funding bill for the second time this year, but Senate Democrats once again blocked funding for the Department. In an op-ed for Newsweek, Chairman Garbarino warned that repeated lapses in funding disrupt interagency coordination and undermine the department's ability to respond effectively to evolving global threats, while continued financial instability impedes the Department's ability to recruit and retain personnel long-term.

In the Committee's February oversight hearing, leaders from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) all testified that a DHS shutdown would affect interagency collaboration and hinder the Department's ability to effectively carry out its core mission. The Committee also held a hearing with FIFA host city and law enforcement stakeholders for the World Cup, who raised concerns about the potential impacts of the ongoing shutdown and federal funding delays on security preparations for these events.

Numerous publications and outlets have also highlighted the impacts on different DHS components:

• The current funding lapse is also the second time in the past six months that TSA workers are working without pay, with more than 90 percent of the agency's employees considered essential. Spring 2026 travel is already up 4% since last year, and over 50,000 frontline frontline TSA workers received a $0 paycheck last week.
• According to a recent CBS News article , 305 employees have left TSA since the start of the shutdown (as of March 9), and call-out rates have reached double-digit percentages at some airports.
• CISA leaders told House appropriators in February that just one-third of the agency's employees would remain on the job under a shutdown, significantly impairing CISA's ability to conduct "cyber incident response, security assessments, stakeholder engagements, training exercises, and special event planning."
• During the last shutdown, "nearly 85 percent of FEMA employees" continued to work without pay, which is expected to recur with the current funding lapse. Emergency response efforts could be strained, and disaster relief reimbursements may be delayed, potentially slowing recovery efforts for affected communities.
• " More than 41,000 active-duty and activated Reserve members " of the U.S. Coast Guard are facing uncertainty around pay for the second time in six months, even amid its historic success in securing the country's maritime borders, slowing down the flow of illicit narcotics, and conducting high-risk maritime operations to protect U.S. interests abroad.
• The shutdown may also be disrupting several ongoing investigations being led by the agency's Office of Inspector General, affecting the ability to conduct thorough oversight of DHS and its components.

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