Do the two parties have to reach a deal this week? Will the airport chaos be solved?
As of March 26, parts of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have been shut down for 40 days. The main problem is: about 50,000 TSA airport security workers are working without pay. More than 480 have quit.
Because of this, wait times at airports across the country have reached 4.5 hours. Some airports have 30% to 50% of security workers missing their shifts. Fourteen major airports have brought in ICE officers to help keep order. The TSA warns: if this continues, some airports may have to close.
The reason for the shutdown is that the two parties cannot agree. It's a fight over "immigration enforcement" vs. "reform."
**What Republicans want:**
- Fund all of DHS together, including ICE and CBP
- Do not split up the funding
- No new limits on how ICE does its job
**What Democrats want:**
- Change how ICE enforces the law
- Require officers to show a judge's order before making an arrest
- Ban officers from covering their faces while working
- Fund the less controversial parts of DHS first (like TSA), and deal with ICE later.（ICE does not need more money right now.）
The airport chaos has made people angry. There is a lot of bad press. Both parties are feeling the pressure. They may have to change their positions.
Spring break travel is here. Airports are a mess. Voters are pointing fingers at the party in charge. The airline industry is also upset. Delta Airlines said it will no longer give VIP service to members of Congress.
On March 24, Trump changed his mind. He said he would accept the Democrats' idea—reopen the parts of DHS other than ICE.
Some people blame Democrats for "using TSA as a hostage." Republicans say the airport chaos is the Democrats' fault for not funding TSA separately. If Democrats look like they are "willing to shut down airports just to change ICE rules," they could lose moderate voters.
Right now, Republicans feel more pressure—because the chaos is happening while they are in charge. Trump has already made a "big change" in his position. Democrats also feel pressure, but they can say the shutdown is "because Republicans won't change ICE rules."
Congress members are about to go on a two-week break this weekend. If they don't reach a deal before then, voters may get so angry that both parties will pay a price.
We think a deal will come soon. A possible deal could include:
1. Agree to split the funding (no longer demand that ICE be funded at the same time)
2. Let ICE funding go through a separate budget process
3. Small changes to ICE rules (no face coverings, but no strict rule about showing a judge's order)
4. Agree to "reopen first, talk about reform later"
Let's hope the airport chaos ends soon.