Here's a novel idea for ending the government shutdown: just fund the parts everyone's fighting about separately. That's essentially what Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is proposing, aiming to untangle the political knot that's currently strangling airport security and leaving TSA agents unpaid.
On Saturday, Cruz suggested carving out funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from the larger Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill. The thinking goes that if you separate the most contentious immigration enforcement agencies from the rest, you might actually get something passed. He argues this could bypass the current stalemate with Democrats and help restore government operations more quickly.
"What I've suggested is that the Democrats have gotten so extreme and unreasonable that I don't know that they will ever be willing to fund Department of Homeland Security," Cruz told The Hill. He added, "Let's fund ICE and CBP through reconciliation… and the Democrat lunacy on open borders can be put to an end."
The reconciliation process he's referring to requires only a simple majority in the Senate, which could make passing this funding much easier than the usual 60-vote threshold. It's a procedural workaround for a political problem that's creating very real consequences at airports across the country.
Those consequences include TSA officers missing paychecks and increased absenteeism, which has led to delays of up to four hours at major airports during peak spring break travel. When the people who screen your bags aren't getting paid, they tend to show up less often, and the lines get longer. It's basic economics, really.
Not all Republicans are fully on board with Cruz's approach. Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said he's open to incremental steps to resolve the impasse, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) signaled a preference for a broader bipartisan agreement. Because in Washington, even when you're trying to simplify things, you can't please everyone.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk has offered to cover TSA paychecks during the funding lapse, calling it a nationwide airport issue rather than a single-location problem. Some airports, like Denver and Seattle-Tacoma, have already started providing grocery cards and food pantries for their unpaid staff. When billionaires and food banks are stepping in to cover what the government can't pay, you know you've got a problem.
Lawmakers are exploring other creative solutions too. There's talk of reallocating funds from President Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, which was originally intended for ICE and CBP, to keep TSA agents paid. Leaders Thune and Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) were reportedly open to the idea, while Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) stressed the shutdown's impact on air travel and suggested separate TSA funding altogether.
This isn't the first time immigration funding has caused a standoff. Back in January, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) vowed to block DHS funding without major immigration enforcement reforms, citing recent fatal shootings by Border Patrol and ICE officers. So the current situation is really just the latest chapter in a long-running battle over how to handle immigration enforcement and who should pay for it.
What's interesting about Cruz's proposal is that it acknowledges the political reality: sometimes you can't get everything you want, so you take what you can get and move on. Whether that approach will actually work remains to be seen, but with airport lines stretching to four hours and TSA agents going unpaid, something's got to give.
