Long lines at airports may soon return as bosses at the Department of Homeland Security warn that they will quickly run out of funds to pay security staff.
“That money is dried up, if I continue down this path, the first week of May, because my payroll at DHS is just over $1.6 billion every two weeks,” newly instated DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Fox & Friends on Tuesday.
“There is no more emergency fund, so the president can’t do another executive order for us to use money, because there’s no more money there,” he added.
According to Office of Management and Budget data, as of this week, less than $1.4 billion remains in the DHS’s $10 billion budget.
The Independent has contacted the Department of Homeland Security for comment on Mullin’s remarks.
The government shutdown affecting the DHS and Transport Security Administration workers has been ongoing since mid-February and is the longest in U.S. history, with approximately 100,000 employees reportedly at risk of not being paid until summer.
The lack of payment has resulted in heavy understaffing, causing huge lines out of airports and other major disruptions. According to Politico, by early March, nearly 500 TSA officers had already resigned.
Major travel hubs, including JFK and Hartsfield–Jackson in Atlanta, have seen passengers facing unpredictable security lines that frequently peaked at over two and a half hours.
In some terminals, wait times have reportedly stretched so long that passengers have missed international flights, prompting Donald Trump to threaten the deployment of the National Guard to assist with crowd control.
Late last month, the president signed an executive order directing that money from his “One Big Beautiful Bill” funding package be used to pay TSA workers and other DHS staff temporarily.
Earlier this month, Trump asked Congress to begin the process of privatizing the TSA to end government control over its funding and prevent similar shutdowns in the future.
The White House’s 2027 budget proposal suggests that smaller airports be required to enroll in the TSA Screening Partnership Program, which allows facilities and airlines to contract with private companies to provide security under the same standard as TSA officers.
That would cut more than 8,000 TSA positions, including 2,400 transportation security officers, and save roughly $52 million, the White House estimates.
“The move would yield cost savings compared to Federal screening and begin reform of a troubled Federal agency,” the White House budget proposal states.
A longer-term solution seems unlikely, as Democrats continue to oppose a full reopening of the DHS without significant changes to ICE enforcement operations and its funding.
