Sen. Rosen Says DHS Shutdown Resolution Depends on What President Wants

Forty days into a Department of Homeland Security shutdown with no end in sight, Sen. Jacky Rosen said Wednesday that resolving the impasse ultimately "really hinges on what the president wants," framing the stalemate as one the White House, not Congress, must break.

The partial DHS shutdown began on February 14, 2026, leaving TSA agents working without pay for the third time in six months. The TSA has already lost more than 480 transportation security officers during the shutdown, while callout rates have accelerated. "This has led to the highest wait times in TSA history, with some wait times greater than four and a half hours," TSA's top official Ha Nguyen McNeill told a House Homeland Security Committee hearing Wednesday.

Rosen, a Nevada Democrat who has been a key figure in the negotiations, made clear she sees no path forward without genuine White House engagement. She was adamant that she will not alter her position until the White House gets serious in its proposals, telling CNN that Republican offers amounting to pledges to "uphold current law" and follow the Fourth Amendment "where we think we should" do not constitute real negotiation.

The Nevada senator had already introduced S.4127, a bill designed to fund the TSA independently of the broader DHS fight. The bill would provide continuing appropriations solely for essential TSA pay and operations, surgically separating airport security from the broader and far more politically toxic battle over immigration enforcement funding. Senate Republicans have blocked Rosen's TSA bill multiple times as the shutdown reaches its sixth week, even as travelers are forced to wait for hours in security lines.

At the core of the deadlock is a dispute over ICE accountability. Rosen said she has been "horrified by the overly aggressive behavior and violence committed by ICE at the direction of the Trump Administration," adding: "We need increased accountability for ICE to stop these abuses of power, but Washington Republicans would rather have the entire Department of Homeland Security shut down than put guardrails on ICE."

The political temperature surged after the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis by federal agents. On January 24, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse for the Department of Veterans Affairs, was shot multiple times and killed by two U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Minneapolis. The shooting came less than three weeks after an immigration officer fired on Renee Good, also 37, killing her in her car. Rosen cited both killings in her public statement, reaffirming her commitment to fighting for reforms to rein in ICE's abuses of power.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats sent a counterproposal to Republicans to fund DHS "while at the same time rein in ICE with commonsense guardrails." Other Democrats hardened their positions in response to the killings. Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico wrote on X: "Enough is enough. I will not vote to fund the lawlessness of DHS, not by itself and not packaged with other funding bills." Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, who had previously supported the legislation, also shifted: "Federal agents cannot murder people in broad daylight and face zero consequences," she posted.

The 119th Congress has lurched from one funding crisis to the next. At the end of January 2026, Congress failed to pass a package of five appropriations bills, triggering a four-day partial shutdown. Most agencies were eventually funded through the end of fiscal year 2026, but DHS was deliberately left out because of a deep partisan standoff over ICE.

TSA's McNeill told Congress Wednesday that the agency may have to close smaller airports if officer shortfalls continue. With spring break travel beginning in earnest, the pressure on both parties to reach a deal is intensifying. Whether that deal materializes, Rosen made clear, depends on a phone call, a counterproposal, or a policy shift from one address: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.