Could The Homeland Security Shutdown Impact Your Travel Plans?

The Department of Homeland Security will experience a lapse in funding starting at midnight, which will have the most impact on agencies under the DHS umbrella, such as TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard – and it may have a slight impact on American travelers.

Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who currently serves as the president and CEO of Airlines for America, told The Daily Wire that he believes this shutdown will not have as drastic of an impact on air travel as the one in the fall, as air traffic controllers are already funded as part of the rest of the government spending package already approved earlier this month.

“This one’s very different than the first. First, air traffic controllers are paid. They’ve been funded through the first appropriations bill a couple of weeks ago. That was the big linchpin concern for us in the first one,” Sununu said, noting how the system had to “slow” down for safety reasons due to a high number of callouts during the 43-day shutdown last year, saying this now mostly centers on TSA and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

“No one’s going to get an empty paycheck or anything like that, at least until maybe a half paycheck at the end of the month, empty paycheck into March, because the conversations are actually happening between Democrats and the White House, that really wasn’t happening back in October,” he noted, saying that he’s “very optimistic that they are going to work this thing out.”

For those traveling, he recommends that people “keep an eye” on their upcoming flight plans, especially with Presidents Day on Monday.

“So give yourself a little extra time because it is a holiday week, but right now we don’t anticipate any significant delays,” Sununu said. “And if there are, the good news is the technology’s there and the public information is there so folks can be given a heads up if they need to give themselves a little more time.”

The former governor did encourage Congress to “find the middle ground” and “stop holding the American people hostage over political disputes,” noting proposed legislation floating that would keep TSA agents and air traffic controllers paid through shutdowns to minimize disruptions for Americans.

Although the department’s shutdown has centered on a push for federal immigration enforcement reforms, much of the funding needed for ICE’s deportation efforts was already secured through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” signed by President Donald Trump in July.

Congress is scheduled to be on recess for the next week as negotiations have moved at a fairly slow pace on Capitol Hill to figure out funding for DHS before the continuing resolution expires on Friday. Democrats have put forth a list of demands for federal immigration enforcement reforms, and the White House has made a counterproposal with few known public details yet.

Meanwhile, some lawmakers of both political parties have flown off to the Munich Security Conference in Germany, although fewer House members were able to go, given that an official taxpayer-funded congressional delegation is unable to occur with the shutdown, according to Politico.

“That’s a little frustrating in itself,” Sununu said. “I mean, look, as a former governor … there are times you can’t find that middle ground in time, and this is one of them, but you don’t leave the city. You don’t leave the country.”

“You can go into your own corners and kind of maybe take a breath, but I don’t know about this whole everyone running off to Europe thing,” he added, saying that he hopes they will find a compromise on DHS funding when they return.