HOUSTON – As the partial government shutdown stretches into its 40th day, TSA agents at Houston-area airports are working without pay, leaving frontline workers scrambling to pay bills while Congress remains deadlocked over funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
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Long lines at TSA checkpoints have become a visible sign of the shutdown’s impact on travelers, but for agents, the issue is far more personal.
“This isn’t about politics,” said Congressman Wesley Hunt. “It’s about stability, fair compensation, and keeping Americans safe.”
In response to the situation, KPRC 2 News contacted every Houston-area member of Congress to ask two key questions: what are they doing to end the shutdown and will they forgo their pay until DHS is fully funded, like Senators Ted Cruz and Representative Al Green have committed to doing?
Rep. Al Green (D-9th District) spoke about the personal toll on TSA employees, saying that until workers are paid, congressional salaries are meaningless, “forty days is 40 days too many,” he said.
Senator Ted Cruz confirmed that he has requested his salary be held until the government is fully funded, stating, “it’s not right for Members of Congress to be paid if the working men and women of DHS aren’t,” he posted on X.
Senator John Cornyn also emphasized the risks posed by the shutdown. He pointed to his repeated votes to fund TSA and DHS and highlighted legislation he has sponsored to hold members of Congress accountable, including the End Special Treatment for Congress at Airports Act and the No Shutdown Paychecks to Politicians Act. These measures would ensure lawmakers undergo the same TSA screening as travelers and do not receive pay during a shutdown.
“As Democrats continue to hold funding for this agency hostage, we need a strong hand at the helm more than ever,” Cornyn said on the senate floor this week. “We know that what the Democrats are doing in blocking the payment of appropriations for the Department for Homeland Security is endangering public safety in a number of ways.”
Congressman Wesley Hunt stressed that the House has acted twice to fund DHS.
“On January 22, the House passed H.R. 7147, funding TSA and DHS through September 30. Then again, on March 5, we passed H.R. 7744, providing more than $10.6 billion for TSA operations and support,” Hunt told KPRC 2 News in a statement. “The House has acted. The Senate must do the same.”
He also tied the funding impasse to public safety concerns, referencing families affected by crimes committed by individuals released due to failed policies.
On the Democratic side, Congressman Christian Menefee criticized the shutdown as a Republican-led failure.
“TSA workers are going without pay so Republicans can protect ICE, an agency that has terrorized communities across this country,” he said. Menefee noted his efforts to pass clean TSA funding, including a House petition that would force a vote if enough signatures are collected.
Meanwhile, travelers at Bush Intercontinental Airport reported long lines and frustration, underscoring the human cost of the ongoing stalemate in Washington.
Full Statements from Lawmakers:
Senator Ted Cruz:
“Due to the Democrat’s Shutdown, I’ve asked the Financial Clerk of the Senate to hold my salary. It’s not right for Members of Congress to be paid if the working men and women of DHS aren’t.”
Senator John Cornyn:
The Senator has now voted for funding TSA and DHS five times. He introduced the End Special Treatment for Congress at Airports Act, passed unanimously by the Senate, which requires members of Congress to undergo the same TSA screening as travelers and prohibits preferential treatment at checkpoints. Cornyn also cosponsored the No Shutdown Paychecks to Politicians Act, which would ensure Members of Congress do not receive pay during a government shutdown.
Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia:
“I signed onto the discharge petition to bring Rep. Rosa DeLauro’s bill to the House floor to fund TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard, and the rest of DHS so these workers can get paid and Americans can stay safe. That bill does not include funding for ICE, CBP, or the Office of the Secretary because Democrats are insisting on basic accountability before approving more funding for an agency that is out of control.
“There is bipartisan support to fund the rest of DHS while negotiations on ICE continue, but Donald Trump rejected that path and is choosing to keep this shutdown going. The chaos we are seeing at airports could end today. Americans should not have to deal with hours-long lines just to get on a flight.
“To the TSA officers who are showing up every day without pay to keep this country safe, thank you. That is wrong. The only reason this is happening is that Donald Trump is holding funding hostage to protect ICE from basic accountability.”
Congressman Wesley Hunt:
“TSA agents and frontline personnel should never be used as political leverage. These men and women work every day to keep Americans safe, and they deserve stability and fair compensation. Let me be clear, this DHS funding lapse must be resolved immediately. Republicans in the House of Representatives have done our job, twice. On January 22, 2026, the House passed H.R. 7147, the DHS Appropriations Act, funding TSA and DHS through September 30.
Then again, on March 5, 2026, we passed H.R. 7744, providing more than $10.6 billion for TSA operations and support.
The House has acted. The Senate must do the same. At the same time, Americans are paying the price for failed Democrat policies.
Families like those of Jocelyn, Laken, Rachel, Sheridan, Camillia Williams, and Gregori Arias deserve justice. These lives may well have been spared had criminal illegal aliens not been released into our country. Yet today, Democrats are holding our nation’s airports hostage to protect the very criminals who prey on innocent Americans."
Congressman Christian Menefee:
“Republicans control the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. This shutdown is on them. They have the power to end it today and they are choosing not to. The reason TSA is not funded right now is simple. Republicans are holding that funding hostage to protect ICE, an agency that has terrorized communities across this country and even executed Americans in the street. That is the trade they are making.
TSA workers going without pay so they can keep ICE untouched. I was at Bush Intercontinental yesterday talking directly to travelers and hearing their frustration.
I wanted Houstonians to know their congressman is paying attention and fighting back. I joined my Democratic colleagues to put forward a bill that fully funds TSA. Republicans refuse to bring it to a vote.
We have also pushed a House petition that would force Republicans to vote on TSA funding if we get enough signatures. Congress can pass clean TSA funding right now, with full back pay for every worker who has been on the job without a paycheck.
I fully support that and will vote for it the moment Republicans allow a vote. Any member of Congress who will not support clean TSA funding should be ashamed of themselves. These workers showed up. They did their jobs. They deserve to be paid, and the people standing in the way of that need to own it."
Congressman Al Green:
“Until they’re paid, I don’t think any of us should get paid. It’s unfair and worthless to see us collect a salary without a solution to a problem that they did not create,” Green said in a phone interview with KPRC 2 News Rilwan Balogun. “40 days is 40 days too many. This should never have taken place. We have legislation pending that would isolate ICE. And we would cover TSAs. ICE would be not covered because we are negotiating certain things that are very important to the American people."