Long airport lines may soon disappear as senators sound hopeful on funding deal
One prediction market gives a likelihood of about 64% that a long partial government shutdown will end this month
Last Updated: March 24, 2026 at 5:03 p.m. ET
First Published: March 24, 2026 at 11:19 a.m. ET
Travelers wait in long security lines on Monday at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.Photo: AFP via Getty Images
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Key Points
About This Summary
- Senators are optimistic about a funding plan to end the partial government shutdown for DHS and pay TSA agents.
- The partial government shutdown, ongoing since Feb. 14, has led to TSA agents missing paychecks and longer airport security lines.
- A prediction market indicates a 64% chance the shutdown ends by March 31, up from 28% last week, amid ongoing negotiations.
There is hope that Americans soon won’t have to deal with long lines at many airports around the country, as senators in Washington, D.C., are sounding upbeat about a funding plan that would end a long-running partial government shutdown and restart paychecks for Transportation Security Administration agents.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, told reporters late Monday that discussions “have been very positive and productive, and hopefully headed in the right direction.” Democratic Sen. Pete Welch of Vermont offered a similar take, saying: “This is significant movement.”
One prediction market, Polymarket, was giving a likelihood of about 64% on Tuesday afternoon that the partial shutdown would end by March 31. That’s up from just a 28% chance last week. (Polymarket has a business partnership with Dow Jones, the publisher of MarketWatch.)
The plan would provide money for the Department of Homeland Security, but not for the department’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations — which are focused on enforcement and removal, and have been at the center of the funding standoff. Only DHS has been left high and dry since the partial government shutdown began Feb. 14, but the disruption has been significant, given that the department’s arms include TSA, which runs security checkpoints at U.S. airports.
A growing number of TSA agents have been skipping work because they’re missing out on paychecks. That has led to longer-than-usual security lines at a number of busy airports, such as those in Atlanta and Houston.
See: Flights may keep getting more expensive and harder to find. Here’s how much worse it could get.
So how would ICE’s enforcement and removal operations eventually be funded? Senate Republicans would aim to provide money in a process known as budget reconciliation, which needs only 51 votes in the Senate and is often used for high-profile legislation.
GOP senators could pass parts of the Save America Act, a bill that addresses citizenship verification for voters, in their reconciliation bill.
President Donald Trump has called for the Save America Act to be passed with any bill that funds DHS. The latest funding plan that’s sparking optimism is similar to a proposal that Thune pitched unsuccessfully to Trump on Sunday, but the president reportedly was open to it during a meeting on Monday night with Republican senators.
Trump also indicated some support for the funding deal in remarks to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, though he offered criticism as well. “I’m going to look at it, and we’re going to take a good, hard look at it. I want to support Republicans,” he said. But a little later, he said: “I think any deal they make, I’m pretty much not happy with it.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, told reporters later Tuesday that negotiations with Republicans were ongoing, as he stressed that Democrats were continuing to push for ICE reforms. “They’ve sent us an offer, and we’ll be sending them an offer back, and I can assure you it will contain significant reform in it,” Schumer said.
Senators and members of the House of Representatives have circled Friday on their calendars because it’s the last day that both chambers of Congress are slated to be in session in Washington, before starting a two-week break. Thune has signaled that he won’t let senators go on their break if DHS isn’t funded.
In addition, this Friday is important for TSA agents, because it’s a payday and they could miss a full paycheck for the second time. Those workers got a partial paycheck on their Feb. 27 payday, but missed their first full paycheck on March 13.
Read more: March 27 looks like a make-or-break day for American travelers and the partial government shutdown
The U.S. Travel Association and many industry partners, including airlines and hotel operators, sent a letter last week to the top four U.S. lawmakers calling for pay for TSA agents. “Forcing these dedicated officers to work without pay — yet again— is not only unfair, it’s reckless. The security of travelers and the country is at stake,” the letter said.
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines
has announced that it’s suspending specialty services for members of Congress who use the airline, citing the impact on resources from the long-running partial government shutdown. That’s according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution report.
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About the Author
Victor Reklaitis is a Washington Correspondent for MarketWatch. During his time at MarketWatch, he also has served in roles in the London and New York newsrooms. Prior to joining MarketWatch, he worked at Investor’s Business Daily and for newspapers in Virginia.
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