US News Metro Long Island Politics

Sports NFL MLB Olympics NBA NHL College Football College Basketball WNBA

Business Personal Finance

Entertainment TV Movies Music Celebrities Awards Theater

Lifestyle Weird But True Sex & Relationships Viral Trends Human Interest Parenting Fashion & Beauty Food & Drink Travel

Health Wellness Fitness Health Care Medicine Men’s Health Women’s Health Mental Health Nutrition

Science Space Environment Wildlife Archaeology

Today’s Paper Covers Columnists Horoscopes Crosswords & Games Sports Odds Podcasts Careers

Email Newsletters Official Store Home Delivery Tips

Switch between CA and NY editions here.

Chuck Schumer’s shutdown gambit gets riskier by the day

Next time your flight’s delayed or canceled, or you’re stuck in an endless TSA line, thank a congressional Democrat.

Senate Dems have decided to make a show of their support for lawless immigration by inflicting pain on American travelers.

They’ve blocked funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Transportation Security Administration, even though their stunt doesn’t affect the budget of the agency Democrats really want to hurt, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ICE already has the funding it needs — but TSA doesn’t.

That means airport security workers aren’t getting paid, so many aren’t showing up, or they’re quitting to find jobs Chuck Schumer can’t hold hostage.

It’s bad enough congressional Democrats are taking their anger at immigration enforcement out on American travelers.

It’s well past time Dems ended DHS shutdown charade — before it’s too late

Sen. John Cornyn’s attempt to feed TSA workers burgers hijacked by lefty Dem

Air-aggedon — Flyer chaos rages as 300 TSA officers quit while Dems refuse budget deal

What’s yet worse is they’re doing it in a time of war.

Do we want less secure airports — or unhappy, unpaid agents — at a moment when terrorist attacks are more likely?

Sen. Schumer shouldn’t wait till someone blows a plane out of the sky before rethinking his tactics.

There is no good-faith reason for Democrats to turn their outrage at ICE into a shutdown of other DHS divisions.

They’re playing a legislative game with other people’s livelihoods, their travel plans, and their very lives.

DHS says more than 300 TSA agents have already quit during the partial shutdown. 

Who can blame them — do Democrats expect them to work for free? 

This isn’t a shutdown forced on Congress by difficult decisions about the debt ceiling.

This one’s gratuitous, motivated by pure partisan angling.

Schumer & Co. are keen to use ICE as a midterm campaign issue.

Democrats’ DHS defunding: Letters to the Editor — March 16, 2026

They hope the deaths of two left-wing activists during anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis this winter will scare independents into opposing Trump’s immigration policies, but they also need to appease the progressives in the party’s base who actually want more illegal immigration.

The Dems keep trying to have it both ways — presenting themselves as willing to countenance some restrictions on immigration, while pandering to a hard core of activists who demand immigration to be limitless, even if that means it’s also lawless. 

President Joe Biden’s administration didn’t fail to enforce the nation’s immigration laws; it chose to ignore them, to the maximum extent it could get away with.

His party hasn’t changed its ways since voters rebuked it two years ago by sending President Donald Trump back to the White House.

Senate Democrats’ antics are proof of that: They’re happy to make life harder for American travelers and government employees if it makes life easier for illegal aliens.

Their policy puts Americans last.

Voters should be mindful of that in the run-up to the midterms. 

This November’s elections will almost inevitably be a referendum on Trump’s first two years back in office.

Whatever voters are dissatisfied with, they’ll chalk up to Trump — and hold Republicans accountable for it.

But Schumer’s DHS extortion scheme is so brazen it just might backfire. 

Presidents and CEOs of 10 major airlines and related advocacy groups have put their names to an open letter calling on Congress to stop this nonsense.

“TSA officers just received $0 paychecks. That is simply unacceptable,” their message read.

“It’s difficult, if not impossible, to put food on the table, put gas in the car and pay rent when you are not getting paid.”

It went on: “With spring break travel in full swing, FIFA World Cup 2026 right around the corner and celebrations for America’s 250th birthday throughout the year,” the industry expects “171 million passengers this spring season.”

Many of them are already “having to wait in extraordinarily long — and painfully slow — lines at checkpoints.”

The letter warned of queues so long they take up to four hours to get through.

There’s no reason for that, other than the will of Schumer and his Democratic colleagues.

The industry heads want a set of new laws to make sure airlines and cargo companies like FedEx and UPS can’t be treated like a “political football amid another government shutdown” every time Congress hits a budget deadlock.

They asked for legislation ensuring that air-traffic controllers, TSA screeners and other critical personnel keep getting paid through any future shutdown.

But ending the pain of this partial shutdown doesn’t have to wait on any new laws: Schumer can end it today.

If he chooses not to, keep him and his colleague in mind next time you’re waiting for hours in a TSA line.

The Senate Democrats did that to you because they wanted to make a point.

Come November, you can make one, too.

Daniel McCarthy is the editor of Modern Age: A Conservative Review.

department of homeland security

Cindy Adams Rating 2026 Oscar looks -- From the good to whatever the hell Gwyneth Paltrow was thinking

Rating 2026 Oscar looks -- From the good to whatever the hell Gwyneth Paltrow was thinking

Daniel McCarthy Schumer's shutdown gambit gets riskier by the day

Schumer's shutdown gambit gets riskier by the day

Kirsten Fleming Face it, Hollywood — you're boring viewers with your self-righteous, out of touch, navel-gazing Oscars

Face it, Hollywood — you're boring viewers with your self-righteous, out of touch, navel-gazing Oscars

Front Cover Back Cover

Trending Now on NYPost.com

This story has been shared 71,005 times. 71,005 Trump briefed that Iran’s new supreme leader is probably gay — and president has priceless reaction

Trump briefed that Iran’s new supreme leader is probably gay — and president has priceless reaction

This story has been shared 68,082 times. 68,082 Former Syracuse QB dead at 28, less than a month after getting engaged

Former Syracuse QB dead at 28, less than a month after getting engaged

This story has been shared 56,417 times. 56,417 Mamdani’s city-run preschool expansion will leave parents with no other choice

Mamdani’s city-run preschool expansion will leave parents with no other choice

Watch 'Real Housewives' couple's arrest for allegedly stealing thousands in Publix groceries

Stream It Or Skip It: 'The Madison' On Paramount+, Where Michelle Pfeiffer Is A New York Woman Who Goes To Montana To Deal With Her Grief After A Tragedy

Trump briefed that Iran’s new supreme leader is probably gay — and president has priceless reaction

Sections & Features US News Metro World News Sports Sports Betting Business Opinion Entertainment Fashion & Beauty Shopping Lifestyle Real Estate Media Tech Science Health Travel Astrology Video Photos Alexa Covers Horoscopes Sports Odds Podcasts Crosswords & Games Columnists Classifieds

Post Sports+ Subscribe Articles Manage

Newsletters & Feeds Email Newsletters RSS Feeds NY Post Official Store Home Delivery Subscribe Manage Subscription Delivery Help

NY Post Official Store

Home Delivery Subscribe Manage Subscription

Help/Support About New York Post Editorial Standards New York Post Awards & Recognition Customer Service Apps Help Community Guidelines Contact Us Tips Newsroom Letters to the Editor Licensing & Reprints Careers Vulnerability Disclosure Program

New York Post Awards & Recognition

Contact Us Tips Newsroom Letters to the Editor Licensing & Reprints Careers Vulnerability Disclosure Program

Letters to the Editor

Vulnerability Disclosure Program

Apps iPhone App iPad App Android Phone Android Tablet

Advertise Media Kit Contact

© New York Post