GOP infighting, Democrats' unmet demands and a CLEAR windfall: Who's winning and losing the DHS shutdown

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown became the longest funding lapse in history over the weekend, but the standoff could take several more months to fully resolve.

With President Donald Trump giving Republicans a June 1 deadline to fund the entire department, blame is flying between both parties while top Republicans present a unified front after several days of infighting.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of DHS employees are struggling to pay their bills. American travelers, too, are enduring longer-than-usual wait times at major airports.

As the shutdown continues to drag on, here is a glimpse at the biggest winners and losers of the funding lapse so far.

HOUSE CONSERVATIVES RAGE AGAINST SENATE DHS SHUTDOWN DEAL

Though Republicans were largely unified during the fall 2025 shutdown, internal divisions have erupted in the current funding fight.

House GOP leadership fiercely rejected a bipartisan Senate deal on Friday that sought to fund most of DHS while punting money for ICE and CBP to a future funding vehicle. GOP lawmakers in the House then approved a rival proposal temporarily funding the whole department, even as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., labeled it "dead on arrival" in the upper chamber.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told GOP colleagues over the weekend that he would not bring lawmakers back to Washington for a "show vote" that is destined to fail.

Johnson, however, continued to insist his conference’s proposal was the best solution to end the stalemate.

"The Senate has to do their job and help us on this heavy lift," the speaker said on "Fox & Friends" Tuesday, adding that the Senate failing to make sure ICE and CBP are funded was an "outrageous" move. 

Trump appeared to break the impasse when he called on Republicans on Wednesday to fund immigration enforcement and border security in a forthcoming budget reconciliation package — a move aligned with Senate Republicans’ preferred approach to end the shutdown.

Johnson and Thune issued a joint statement shortly after, endorsing Trump's June 1 deadline in a notable display of unity. 

The cross-chamber tensions are likely to remain, however, with some House conservatives, such as Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., calling for Thune’s ouster from Senate leadership.

LEAVITT CALLS ON CONGRESS TO END EASTER RECESS TO WORK ON DHS SHUTDOWN

Top Democrats plunged the country into a partial government shutdown in mid-February to demand reforms to immigration enforcement. The push came in the wake of the killing of two Americans by federal immigration agents during the Trump administration’s enforcement surge in Minneapolis.

But Democrats are not likely to have any of their proposals met after consistently rebuffing Republicans’ attempts to find consensus.

"The Dems wanted reforms. We tried to work with them on reforms. They ended up getting no reforms," Thune said.

The proposals included prohibiting ICE agents from wearing masks, requiring judicial warrants when entering private homes and shielding sensitive locations such as churches and schools from enforcement targets.

The Senate’s since-rejected deal to fund most of DHS, minus immigration enforcement, included none of Democrats’ demands. But Schumer has still claimed victory by pointing to Senate Republicans agreeing to a funding deal that did not fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and most of the Border Patrol.

"Throughout it all, Senate Democrats stood united — no wavering, no backing down," Schumer said. "We held the line."

SEE IT: LAWMAKERS CAUGHT ON VACATION AMID RECORD-BREAKING SHUTDOWN WHILE DHS WORKERS GO UNPAID

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents, who make an average of $47,000 a year, were forced to report to work without pay for six weeks before President Donald Trump took executive action Friday to begin the process of compensating them.

The withheld paychecks forced some agents to sleep in cars to save on gas, sell blood and plasma for money, and take on second and third jobs to make ends meet.

More than 500 TSA agents have quit during the funding lapse, according to DHS.

TSA officials have indicated that staffing issues will likely remain even after the shutdown ends. The workforce was also subjected to a lengthy shutdown in fall 2025, during which agents worked for roughly a month and a half without pay.

Assaults on agents have also increased by 500% since the shutdown began, Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill testified at a congressional hearing last week.

Additionally, tens of thousands of Americans employed by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and support staff working for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have continued to work without pay or have been furloughed.

JOHNSON TURNS UP HEAT ON SCHUMER AS DHS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON, AIRPORT DELAYS MOUNT

Travel impacts from the monthslong DHS shutdown hit a fever pitch last week, with some major airports advising passengers to arrive three to four hours prior to their departure.

Those travel disruptions — caused primarily by a shortage of TSA workers — have eased after agents began receiving two full retroactive paychecks.

At Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, which has seen some of the longest security screening lines in the country, nearly 40% of TSA agents called out Sunday, according to DHS.

However, the number of TSA agents calling out at the travel hub fell by nearly half Monday, with the airport experiencing just over a 20% absence rate among personnel.

"Since President Trump issued an order to pay TSA officers on March 28, TSA officer call-outs have dropped by roughly 30%," Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. "We are grateful to President Trump for ensuring our hardworking TSA officers are paid as they continue safeguarding our airports during the longest government shutdown in history."

It is not clear whether the president’s executive order will cover future TSA paychecks if the funding lapse drags on.

SENATORS DEFEND TWO-WEEK RECESS AS RECORD-BREAKING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON

Even as Democrats continue to refuse funding for ICE, the partial government shutdown is reshaping how some Americans view the embattled agency.

Passengers at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport told Fox News Digital they appreciated ICE agents assisting TSA officers with managing long security lines. Trump deployed ICE agents to more than a dozen airports in March to help alleviate TSA staffing shortages.

Their presence has allowed TSA personnel to focus on security screenings, while ICE agents direct travelers through long lines and help set up new lanes.

"I think it has been very helpful. They have been helping people go to the right places and help them out," one traveler named Pinal told Fox News Digital.

Another traveler named April said she was grateful for the ICE agents’ presence. "They gave us water, and they said good morning when we walked in. I'm sure they're just as miserable down here," she said.

"They've been great, very kind, very helpful. They've got water," another traveler named Maria said with a big smile.

Long TSA lines at major airports have created an unequivocal winner during the shutdown. CLEAR Secure, the company that operates the ID-verification system allowing some travelers to use a fast lane through airport security, has seen a surge in sign-ups since the shutdown began in mid-February.

At least 319,000 travelers downloaded the CLEAR app in March to steer around TSA checkpoints, Fast Company reported last week.

However, the service, costing $209 annually, has not been available at some airports where it typically operates during the DHS funding lapse. 

CLEAR has called for an end to the shutdown and has contributed about $200,000 in gas cards and grocery cards to TSA agents, a company spokesman told The Wall Street Journal.