Homeland Security

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House GOP Stalls Senate Plan to Reopen DHS

Shutdown set to continue until at least Monday

(Newser) - The Senate thought it had found a way to flip the lights back on at the Department of Homeland Security; the House hit pause instead. In a brief Thursday session, House Republicans declined to advance a funding bill that could have quickly ended the record DHS shutdown, despite GOP leaders...

Johnson, Thune Unveil 2-Step Plan to End Shutdown

The first stage involves passing partial funding measure that House rejected last week

(Newser) - Republican leaders say they've found an off-ramp from the Homeland Security shutdown — now they just have to get their own party to take it. In a joint statement on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson rolled out a two-step strategy: first, pass a...

30-Second Senate Session Leaves Shutdown in Place

Senate Republicans didn't attempt to pass House-backed funding extension

(Newser) - Senate Republicans had a brief shot Monday to try to break the Department of Homeland Security funding stalemate; they let it pass. During a 30-second pro forma session, GOP leaders opted not to attempt a House-backed eight-week funding extension, which Democrats had vowed to block. Republican Sen. John Hoeven of...

Senate Approves Funds for Homeland Security, Minus ICE

Deal is 'exactly what we wanted,' Schumer says

(Newser) - The Senate early Friday morning approved Homeland Security funds to pay Transportation Security Administration agents and most other agencies, but not the immigration enforcement operations at the heart of the budget impasse that has jammed airports, disrupted travel, and imposed financial hardship on workers. The deal, which the Senate approved...

Musk Offers to Cover TSA Pay During DHS Standoff
Musk's Offer to Pay
TSA Agents Turned Down
UPDATED
Mar 25, 2026 6:20 PM CDT

Musk's Offer to Pay TSA Agents Turned Down

White House says it would 'pose great legal challenges' due to his federal contracts

(Newser) - The White House says it appreciates the world's richest man's offer to cover paychecks for TSA workers during the partial government shutdown, but there are legal obstacles in the way. "We greatly appreciate Elon's generous offer. This would pose great legal challenges due to his involvement...

At One Airport, 40% of TSA Agents Called Out

It's fueling long security lines, portending possible airport closures amid government shutdown

(Newser) - Travelers at several major US airports are facing a new kind of turbulence: The screeners aren't showing up. More than 40% of Transportation Security Administration officers at Houston's William P. Hobby Airport skipped work on Tuesday, with similarly high no-show rates in New Orleans (about 36%) and Atlanta...

Senate Panel Votes 8-7 on Mullin Nomination

Fetterman's vote swung it for DHS nominee

(Newser) - A nominee who publicly called a Senate committee chair a "snake" just cleared that chair's panel. Sen. Markwayne Mullin's nomination to run the Department of Homeland Security squeaked out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on an 8–7 vote Thursday, surviving only because...

Rand Paul Grills Mullin Over 'Anger Issues'

He says Mullin's temperament might make him unfit to lead Homeland Security

(Newser) - Sen. Rand Paul turned a high-profile Homeland Security confirmation hearing into a personal confrontation Wednesday, accusing nominee Markwayne Mullin of celebrating political violence and questioning his fitness to run the department.
  • Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma tapped by President Trump to succeed Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary, faced
...

TSA Workers Miss First Full Paycheck as Shutdown Drags

Missed wages deepen staff shortages, trigger more airport security delays

(Newser) - TSA workers are about to be out a full pay period's compensation, and the political fight behind it shows no sign of breaking. On Friday, airport screeners will miss their first complete paycheck of the latest Homeland Security shutdown, even as they're required to keep manning checkpoints, the...

Going on Spring Break? Prep for an Airport Wait

War, fuel prices, and TSA staffing issues spur hourslong lines, canceled flights, higher costs

(Newser) - Spring breakers hoping for a smooth escape to warmer climes are instead walking into a travel thicket of long lines, higher prices, and shifting flight maps. A partial government shutdown is leaving TSA officers unpaid and resulting in some checkpoints being badly understaffed, producing hourslong waits at airports nationwide, reports...

DHS Shutdown Blamed for Hourslong TSA Waits

Airports in Houston, New Orleans affected

(Newser) - Travelers complained of long waits Sunday—lasting hours in some cases—at security checkpoints at airports in Houston and New Orleans, which officials blamed on a government shutdown of the US Department of Homeland Security, the AP reports. The estimated wait time at the standard security checkpoint at the William...

SNL Cold Open Skewers Trump Firing of Kristi Noem

'I didn't get fired, I self-deported'

(Newser) - Newly fired Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem continued to take her lumps through the weekend, this time via Saturday Night Live. The cold open began with defense chief Pete Hegseth, played by Colin Jost, telling reporters that Noem had been "reassigned under the bus," reports USA Today ...

Senator Seeks Perjury Probe Into Fired DHS Chief Noem

Democrat Richard Blumenthal seeks inquiry into Noem's testimony on adviser Corey Lewandowski

(Newser) - Sen. Richard Blumenthal isn't letting Kristi Noem's firing be the end of the story. The Connecticut Democrat says he'll push for a perjury probe into the now-ousted secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, alleging she lied under oath this week about the power wielded by top adviser...

Trump: Firing Noem 'Wasn't a Hard Choice'

He says he 'wasn't thrilled' about $220M ad campaign

(Newser) - President Trump says Kristi Noem's firing was more about a promotion for someone else than any failures on her part, though he admits that he "wasn't thrilled" about her $220 million ad campaign. In his first public comments since pushing the Homeland Security chief out of the...

Noem Thanks Trump for New 'Shield of the Americas' Role

Democrats welcome DHS chief's departure

(Newser) - Kristi Noem's turbulent run atop the Department of Homeland Security is ending with a reassignment and a replacement drawn from the Senate. President Trump announced Thursday that Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma will take over as DHS secretary, calling him "highly respected," while saying Noem will shift to...

Kristi Noem Is Out as Homeland Security Chief

President already has a new nominee

(Newser) - Kristi Noem is out. President Trump said Thursday he's replacing his embattled Homeland Security secretary and will nominate in her place Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin, per the AP . Trump made the announcement on social media after Noem faced two days of grilling on Capitol Hill from GOP lawmakers...

House Dems Grill Noem Over Misconduct Allegations

She was also asked about Minneapolis killings, citizen detentions, affair allegations

(Newser) - At a heated House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, Democrats grilled Homeland Security Kristi Noem over alleged corruption at DHS, fatal shootings of two US citizens by immigration officers in Minneapolis, and the detention of American citizens. But unlike at Tuesday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing , Republicans were united in...

Pentagon Shoots Down DHS Drone With Laser

Lawmakers demand probe into 2nd uncoordinated snafu in Texas near US-Mexico border

(Newser) - The Pentagon just zapped the wrong drone, again. Defense officials on Thursday used a high-energy laser to bring down a "seemingly threatening" drone that turned out to belong to Homeland Security above Fort Hancock, Texas, forcing the FAA to briefly close airspace below 18,000 feet, multiple people familiar...

DHS Halts TSA PreCheck, Global Entry for Shutdown
TSA Reverses on Precheck Halt
updated
Feb 22, 2026 10:40 AM CST

TSA Reverses on Precheck Halt

Noem had announced the program was suspended because of the government shutdown

(Newser) - Hours after the TSA PreCheck was supposed to be halted, the agency announced that the airport program will remain in operation. With the Department of Homeland Security unfunded and partially shut down, the agency had announced that it was stopping new enrollments and renewals for TSA PreCheck and Global Entry...

DHS Plans a Big Shift on Green Card Rules

New policy targets refugees lacking green cards for indefinite detention

(Newser) - A new directive from the Department of Homeland Security would turn a paperwork lapse into grounds for arrest and open-ended detention for many refugees who arrived under former President Biden. In a Wednesday memo, DHS rescinded 2010 guidance that said refugees who failed to apply for a green card after...

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