Chair Collins, Sen. Britt Release Fact Sheet on DHS Funding Lapse

Washington, D.C. -- Amid conflict with Iran, Democrats' shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security has entered its third week and forced many front-line workers to report to work without any guarantee of when they will be paid. U.S. Senate Appropriations Chair Sen. Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Katie Britt (R-Alabama), Chair of the Subcommittee on Homeland Security, detail a cross-section of implications for agencies affected by the funding lapse.

Transportation Security Administrations (TSA)

• More than 50,000 agents and screeners, who have been forced to work during the shutdown, are set to miss their first full paycheck this week.
• Another lapse in funding for Transportation Security Officers (TSO) will have consequences for the workforce. During the 2025 shutdown, TSOs' unscheduled absences reached almost 10 percent.
• Many airports are tracking longer TSA wait times amid staffing shortages that have prevented the opening of additional screening lanes. Just this weekend, we saw:
• • William P. Hobby (HOU) experienced a 37-minute standard screening wait time.
  • Houston George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) experienced a 62-minute standard screening wait time.
  • St. Louis Lambert (STL) experienced a 54-minute standard screening wait time.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

• In-person training at the National Fire Academy, the National Emergency Training Center, the Center for Domestic Preparedness, and the National Disaster and Emergency Management University has been cancelled.
• The FEMA Go system, which allows grantees to draw down funding, is offline because the personnel who would process requests are furloughed. This means that state and local governments and other awardees are unable to tap into essential grant programs intended to ensure safety and combat terrorism, including State Homeland Security Grants, Urban Area Security Initiative, Non-Profit Security Grants, Public Transportation Security, Port Security, and Emergency Management Grants.
• The funding lapse also means that there a no new appropriations into the Disaster Relief Fund, the primary account used by the federal government to coordinate and fund disaster response and recovery efforts. The balance of the fund has dropped to $4 billion. FEMA traditionally keeps a reserve of $3 billion to respond to future disasters, which means existing disaster response is relegated to just the remaining $1 billion in the account until new appropriations are provided.

Coast Guard:

• During a shutdown, Coast Guard military families start to face problems with housing and utilities, as vendors who don't receive payments for utilities, leases, and base contracts could reduce or stop their support altogether.
• Reduced support for operations causes gaps in the fleet, including lower asset availability and cancelled patrols and flights. During a shutdown, the Coast Guard cannot issue credentials and documentation for merchant mariners and commercial vessels or onboard new staff.

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

• Only 800 of CISA's more than 2,000 employees are currently working as most of the workforce has been furloughed.
• CISA has cancelled physical and cybersecurity assessments to detect vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure, such as energy infrastructure.

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