The quiet DHS shutdown
With Congress out and core operations still running, the DHS funding lapse has felt muted. But unpaid workers and mounting delays could bring the human costs into sharper focus next week.
Today in Congress
Tonight will mark day seven of the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, and for many Americans, it has barely registered. With Congress out this week and core DHS functions like airport security and border operations still running, the disruptions have been less visible than the shutdown fights that rattled Washington last fall and again at the start of 2026. But that doesn’t mean there’s no impact: TSA officers, Border Patrol agents and other frontline workers are going without pay, and immigration court delays and FEMA operations could begin to strain if the standoff drags on. But for now, the quiet underscores how narrowly targeted this shutdown is and how accustomed the country has become to brinkmanship in Trump’s second term. Next week, when lawmakers return, the human consequences may come into sharper focus as negotiations over ICE reforms continue.
Happenings
All times Eastern.
The House is in recess but will convene briefly at 11:30 a.m. for a non-voting session.
The Senate is out.
President Donald Trump will participate in a working breakfast with governors at 9:30 a.m. in the State Dining Room, followed by a private meeting at 10:30 a.m. in the Oval Office.
In the Know
— House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) tapped Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger to deliver Democrats’ response to President Trump’s State of the Union next Tuesday, elevating a newly elected swing-state governor and former CIA officer as the party’s contrast messenger. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) will deliver the Spanish-language response, underscoring Democrats’ focus on Latino voters and their critique of Trump’s immigration and enforcement policies.
— House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), alongside Ranking Members Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) and Adam Smith (D-Wash.), unveiled the bipartisan ALERT Act—a sweeping House response to last year’s deadly midair collision at Reagan National Airport that incorporates all 50 safety recommendations issued by the National Transportation Safety Board. The bill would mandate expanded collision-avoidance technology, overhaul helicopter routing and air traffic procedures, tighten safety oversight at the Federal Aviation Administration and DCA, and repeal a controversial NDAA provision that required the Pentagon to preserve and prioritize certain military helicopter training routes in the National Capital Region, including Reagan. The House committee leaders are positioning the ALERT Act as the House’s comprehensive alternative to the narrower ROTOR Act championed by Texas Republican Ted Cruz in the Senate.
— House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Calif.) pressed the National Park Service over its role in President Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom project, questioning whether the agency is facilitating potential corruption by managing private donations and coordinating closely with the White House. The lawmakers cite concerns that the funding structure may be designed to evade judicial review and could violate NPS donation rules that bar preferential treatment or donor influence. An arts panel of Trump appointees on Thursday approved the project to continue.
Read All About It
“Big tech says generative AI will save the planet. It doesn’t offer much proof” by Molly Taft: “A new report finds that of 154 specific claims about how AI will benefit the climate, just a quarter cited academic research. A third included no evidence at all.”
“The year empathy died” by David French: “Compassion is not toxic.”
“What the foodies get wrong about food reform” by Jan Dutkiewicz and Gabriel N. Rosenberg: “Telling people to eat more home-cooked meals and start gardening isn’t a realistic prescription for widespread change.”