By Emily Russell

Transportation Security Administration agents may finally have reason to expect a paycheck soon. Republican Senators indicated Tuesday they will present Democrats with their most promising deal yet to end the 38-day partial government shutdown that has left the security agents without pay.

If passed, the deal would fund the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees TSA, but it would exclude the migrant-removal activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, another DHS agency. ICE funding would be broken off into a separate package and passed through reconciliation at a later date.

A group of Senate Republicans discussed this option with President Donald Trump on Monday evening after another tumultuous day at airports across the country, where some passengers waited more than two hours in TSA security lines that stretched into airport parking garages.

Hundreds of the TSA's 50,000 employees have either called out of work or quit during the current shutdown. Major airlines have canceled flights because of it. Southwest, United, JetBlue, Frontier, and American Airlines stocks are down.

Sen. Katie Britt (R., Ala.) signaled Trump was amenable to their proposal last night. She told reporters their talks went "really well" and they have a deal.

This is a marked shift in the president's posture just hours earlier. Speaking in Memphis on Monday afternoon, Trump said a DHS funding deal should be tied to the SAVE America Act, a GOP-sponsored bill that would require photo ID and proof of citizenship to vote.

"I'm suggesting strongly to the Republican Party, don't make any deal on anything," Trump said on Monday. "Don't make any deal on anything unless you include voter ID, and you have to be a citizen to vote."

Trump rejected funding DHS minus ICE when his staff briefed him on the idea this weekend. He then wrote on Truth Social that any deal that didn't include voter eligibility rules is "unacceptable."

Republican leadership in the Senate disagree. "I think you all know that's not realistic," Majority Leader John Thune (R, S.D.) told reporters Monday.

Thune needs roughly seven Democrats on board to pass a DHS funding bill, but no Senate Democrats support the SAVE America Act. They say the bill's documentation requirements would restrict voting access for otherwise eligible citizens.

Thune has said Republicans "will do our best" to pass the SAVE America Act. But their political willpower to hold out DHS funding over the issue appears to be waning as the economic forecasts dim ahead of the midterm elections in November.

The war in Iran has boosted inflation and unemployment forecasts for the year. Gas prices approached $4 a gallon Tuesday. Jet fuel climbed past $4.50 a gallon, up $2 from before the war.

That is already impacting consumers' bottom lines. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said Tuesday that airfare has increased 15% to 20% due to fuel cost increases. The DHS shutdown only compounds the issue.

Trump's about-face Monday night may indicate a growing recognition that the White House needs to focus on affordability concerns. Polls show the cost of living is voters' top concern. Nearly 63% of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of affordability issues, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Any DHS funding deal will also need to be approved by the House, which has passed the SAVE America Act in February.

Write to emily.russell@barrons.com.

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March 24, 2026 13:16 ET (17:16 GMT)

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