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The federal government has entered its third partial shutdown of the last half year after Congress failed to reach an agreement on 12 annual spending bills.
However, unlike closures, this only affects the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It comes after Democrats abandoned a bipartisan deal to fund the department amid uproar over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
And while about 97% of the federal government has been funded at this point, a DHS shutdown will continue to have effects on everyday Americans, effects that will become more apparent the longer the standoff goes on.
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Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem holds a press conference on January 24, 2026. (Al Drago/Getty Images)
Air travel delays
The disruptions at the TSA, whose agents are responsible for security screening at nearly 440 airports across the country, could be perhaps the most impactful part of the partial shutdown of Americans’ daily lives.
Acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told lawmakers at a hearing Wednesday that about 95% of TSA employees — roughly 61,000 people — are considered essential and will be forced to work without pay in the event of a shutdown.
“We heard reports of officers sleeping in their cars at airports to save money on gas, selling their blood and plasma, and taking second jobs to make ends meet,” he said of the latest shutdown.
But it would be some time before TSA funding resulted in delays. TSA agents, like other essential federal workers, received back pay after the shutdown ended. Those who did not miss their shifts also received a $10,000 bonus for further relief.
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TSA paychecks being issued on March 3 could see agents receive reduced pay depending on the length of the shutdown. Officers would not be at risk of losing their full pay until March 17.
If that happens, however, Americans could see delays or even cancellations at the country’s busiest airports as TSA agents are forced to go out of work and take on second jobs to make ends meet.
Passengers wait in line to use the automated passport control kiosks set up for international travelers arriving at Miami International Airport. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Reimbursement for natural disasters
He Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is one of the largest and most critical recipients of federal funds under DHS.
Office of Response and Recovery Associate Administrator Gregg Phillips told lawmakers Wednesday that FEMA has enough funds to continue disaster response through a shutdown for the foreseeable future, but that its budget would be limited in the event of an unexpected “catastrophic disaster.”
That means Americans affected by an unexpected natural disaster during the shutdown could see a delay in federal reimbursement for their homes and small businesses.
Others who have already experienced a natural disaster in the last year but have not yet received their checks (FEMA is currently working through a backlog worth billions of dollars) could see aid delayed even further during the shutdown.
“In the 45 days I’ve been here… we’ve spent $3 billion in 45 days on 5,000 projects,” Phillips said. “We’re going as fast as we can. We’re committed to reducing the backlog. I can’t go any faster than we’re actually going. And if this fails, that will stop.”
People are seen outside a wildfire shelter at the Pasadena Convention Center on January 21, 2025. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
Worker visa processing
American business owners who rely on certain types of worker visas you could see extended processing times during a DHS shutdown.
This is because the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) programs are administered under DHS and are responsible for processing most immigration applications as well as temporary visas.
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Most of these programs are funded by fees and are largely unchanged. However, areas such as e-Verify, the EB-5 Regional Immigrant Investor Center Program, Conrad 30 J-1 physicians and non-ministerial religious workers depend on funds appropriated by Congress, according to the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
USCIS could allow employers to use alternative processes if e-Verify is disrupted during a shutdown, but it’s unclear how much time learning a new route for that paperwork would add to business owners’ daily responsibilities.
