MaddowBlog-Republicans reject proposal to reopen much of DHS, including TSA

[LetMyPeopleVote]

As the second month of the Homeland Security shutdown gets underway, GOP senators keep rejecting credible Democratic plans for partial solutions.

Senate Democrats have presented some credible proposals to reopen and fully fund TSA while the broader fight over Homeland Security funding continues.

It’s tough to defend Republicans rejecting these plans.
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-03-13T14:01:43.960Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/republicans-reject-proposal-to-reopen-much-of-dhs-including-tsa

To the surprise of no one, those bipartisan talks failed and funding for the massive agency expired, causing a DHS-specific shutdown.

One month later, efforts to end the standoff are going nowhere, though there has been some relevant activity on Capitol Hill in recent days. The New York Times reported:

The congressional impasse over funding the Department of Homeland Security is entering its second month after the Senate on Thursday again deadlocked over providing money for the agency, even as airports continued to experience security line backups.

The latest Republican proposal to end the standoff was difficult to take seriously: GOP senators proposed reopening the entirety of DHS, without any reforms whatsoever, for two weeks. This approach needed 60 votes to advance, and it fell far short on Thursday’s 51-46 vote. (Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only member of the minority to vote with the GOP.)

But the latest Democratic proposal is far more interesting. From the Times’ article:

Over the past two days, Democrats have taken to the Senate floor to propose funding [the Transportation Security Administration] and other branches of the Department of Homeland Security separately, to clear the way for paying federal employees while lawmakers seek negotiations with the White House over limits on the immigration agents.

In other words, the Democratic approach narrows the focus: Congress can reopen much of the DHS immediately — everything from TSA to FEMA, the Coast Guard to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — since those other agencies have nothing to do with the fight over reforms to immigration enforcement tactics.....

To hear GOP senators tell it, they are, at least for now, staunchly opposed to any kind of “piecemeal” approach. They have not, however, explained why an incremental solution is so objectionable.

As the second month of the partial shutdown gets underway, there’s no reason for optimism about a resolution.

[Norrrm]

1. Is the Coast Guard being paid?