by Donald Wood
Last updated: 3:00 PM ET, Fri March 27, 2026
The partial government shutdown won't be coming to an
end just yet despite the United States Senate announcing on Friday morning that it had passed
legislation to fund a portion of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),
including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
The legislation was shot down by House Republicans on Friday afternoon, with officials now seeking a separate stopgap funding bill.
According to Reuters.com, the bill approved by the Senate
would have funded several DHS branches, including the TSA and the U.S. Coast Guard,
but would have withheld funds from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and
from part of Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
As Democrats and Republicans continue to argue over which agencies
should receive funding, the weeks-long partial government shutdown has caused
widespread disruptions at airports across the country, with hundreds of TSA
agents quitting, and long lines becoming the new
normal.
Key players within the U.S. travel industry applauded the Senate passage on Friday but the effort may not be enough.
Rosanna Maietta, President & CEO of the American Hotel
& Lodging Association (AHLA), issued the following statement
concerning the U.S. Senate vote to end the partial government shutdown on Friday:
“The hotel industry applauds the Senate for reaching an
agreement to end the partial government shutdown. For far too long, TSA
employees have been forced to work without pay, placing an unfair burden on
these essential workers and straining the entire travel ecosystem. The
resulting long security lines at airports have caused thousands of missed
flights and trip disruptions, underscoring the broader impact on travelers and
businesses alike. We now urge the House to act swiftly and for President Trump
to sign this measure into law without delay. Our TSA workforce and the millions
of travelers and businesses who rely on them cannot afford to wait any longer.”
On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he
would take executive action to pay 50,000 airport security workers, but it
remains unclear how the Senate's approval of the current bill would impact that
plan, according to NBCNews.com.
Delta Air Lines issued the following statement in
response to the TSA pay executive order:
"Delta is grateful that the executive order
announced today by the President will restore pay to TSA professionals, and we
thank them for working to keep our airports secure during the partial
government shutdown. We also thank our customers for their patience amid
longer-than-usual security lines, and our employees for taking care of our
customers during a challenging time for travel."
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