HOUSTON – Congressman Christian Menefee is calling on Republican leaders to end the ongoing federal government shutdown, citing major disruptions at airports and growing strain on federal workers.
Menefee spoke Monday evening at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), where travelers have faced long security lines and delays.
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The freshman congressman, who took over representing Texas’ 18th Congressional District less than two months ago, addressed concerns at Terminal A Arrivals near the Global Entry area at 5:30 p.m.
“This shutdown is the fault of nobody else except members of the Republican Party in Congress and in the White House,” Menefee said. “The Republican Party controls the White House. They control the House of Representatives, and they control the Senate. Yet hundreds of thousands of Department of Homeland Security employees continue to work without pay.”
Menefee highlighted the impact on airport operations, noting that absentee rates among TSA workers have reached over 42% at Bush Intercontinental and 47% at Hobby Airport.
The press conference came after a directive from President Donald Trump to deploy U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to 13 major U.S. airports, including Bush Intercontinental and Hobby Airport, to assist with crowd management and security screening.
Since the start of the shutdown five weeks ago, roughly 50,000 TSA employees have gone unpaid, and nearly 400 Department of Homeland Security staff have left their positions.
Menefee framed the ongoing operational disruptions as a national security and public safety concern, stressing that immediate congressional action is needed to restore funding for essential agencies and alleviate the burden on travelers and federal workers alike.
Other airports where ICE agents could be deployed
According to CNN and other national reports, immigration officers are being sent to at least 14 major U.S. airports, including:
- Chicago-O’Hare International Airport
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
- Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York)
- LaGuardia Airport (New York)
- Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
- Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
- Newark Liberty International Airport
- Philadelphia International Airport
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
- Pittsburgh International Airport
- Southwest Florida International Airport (Fort Myers, Florida)
Travelers at IAH reported waiting hours to pass through security.
“Multiple people said they had waited two hours, three hours, four hours just to catch their flight,” Menefee said, emphasizing the human cost of the political standoff.
Menefee also opposed proposals to privatize TSA, calling such plans an attack on federal employees and unions.
“TSA workers deserve every single dollar for the time that they work,” he said.
The congressman urged Republicans to support a House Democratic bill that would fund TSA, the Coast Guard, and FEMA without tying it to ICE funding.
“No strings attached. The people across our communities should not have to deal with this chaos anymore,” Menefee said, noting that no Republican lawmakers have backed the measure so far.