{"id":170739,"date":"2026-03-21T16:51:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T16:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/170739\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T16:51:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T16:51:10","slug":"lawmakers-vow-to-fix-budget-standoff-thats-disrupting-nyc-airports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/170739\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers vow to fix budget standoff that\u2019s disrupting NYC airports"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK (PIX11) \u2014 Travel headaches continue at airports<\/a> across the country as a partial government funding lapse affecting the Department of Homeland Security drags on.<\/p>\n

At John F. Kennedy International Airport <\/a>on Friday, long TSA lines stretched across terminals, creating delays for travelers during the busy spring break season.<\/p>\n

Discover more local reporting on our homepage <\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not the best when you come off a long-haul flight; it\u2019s been pretty slow-moving,\u201d said traveler Leanne Atkins, who said she was worried about missing her connecting flight.<\/p>\n

End in sight? DHS funding bill stalled in Senate<\/p>\n

A funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security<\/a> has already passed the House but remains stalled in the Senate as lawmakers remain divided over immigration enforcement policies.<\/p>\n

The disagreement centers on how federal immigration agencies, particularly Immigration and Customs Enforcement, should be funded and regulated.<\/p>\n

Democrats say they want to include additional oversight measures, including limits on enforcement actions, restrictions in sensitive locations such as schools and churches, and expanded use of body cameras.<\/p>\n

Republicans, meanwhile, are pushing for full funding of immigration enforcement agencies without major policy restrictions tied to the budget.<\/p>\n

Stay connected with community stories that matter: Visit our homepage <\/a><\/p>\n

TSA workers feel the impact<\/p>\n

As negotiations continue, TSA workers are among the federal employees working without pay. Union representatives say the financial strain is growing.<\/p>\n

\u201cMembers are having to decide whether they can put gas in their car to come to work, or buy groceries, pay a bill, keep the lights on,\u201d said David Gonzalez with the American Federation of Government Employees.<\/p>\n

Local lawmakers weigh in<\/p>\n

Local lawmakers are split along party lines on how to move forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe head of the Department of Homeland Security was removed, you can\u2019t get any more accountability than that,\u201d said Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis. \u201cI\u2019m supportive of body cameras. We have them in New York for the NYPD. They\u2019re effective because it tells the whole story.\u201d<\/p>\n

New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim says lawmakers should separate airport security funding from the broader immigration debate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can pull out ICE, fund TSA, fund cybersecurity efforts, and fund the Coast Guard. I\u2019m ready right now,\u201d Kim said.<\/p>\n

More News: Politics <\/a><\/p>\n

Push for standalone TSA funding vote<\/p>\n

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he plans to push for a vote as early as Saturday to fund TSA separately, while negotiations over immigration enforcement continue.<\/p>\n

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand also called on Republicans to engage in negotiations to end the stalemate.<\/p>\n

\u201cTransportation Security Administration workers provide an essential service to our nation by keeping us safe as we travel the skies. Democrats have tried multiple times\u00a0to pass legislation\u00a0to ensure TSA employees\u00a0are paid,\u201d she said in a statement to PIX11 News.\u00a0\u201cRepublicans have refused to engage in negotiations, which has resulted in sheer dysfunction with unnecessary delays at our airports, placing added stress on travelers and undermining the very security systems that Americans rely on every day. We should be working together to support these workers and keep our country moving safely, not playing political games at their expense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chuck Schumer said he will push for a vote Saturday to approve funds for TSA.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe chaos at TSA is reaching a boiling point. We need to reopen it as quickly as possible. That is what Senate Democrats are intent on doing,\u201d he said in a statement to PIX11 News. \u201cThe Senate will take a very simple procedural vote on beginning to reopen TSA which Democrats are leading. America will see the matter crystal clear: which Senators want to open up TSA, pay TSA workers, and end the chaos at our airports, and which Senators are going to block TSA funding yet again. If you want to open up TSA, vote yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, with no deal in place, travelers and federal workers alike are left dealing with the consequences.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK (PIX11) \u2014 Travel headaches continue at airports across the country as a partial government funding lapse…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":170740,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[2300,9961,1185,9,56,63,65,64,69750,3367],"class_list":["post-170739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-department-of-homeland-security","tag-immigration-enforcement","tag-john-f-kennedy-international-airport","tag-new-york","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news","tag-senate-democrats","tag-tsa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170739\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}