Start Here Senate to TSA: We Have a Deal
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Mar 27, 2026 Aaron Katursky, ABC investigative reporter on youth and online sports betting; Pierre Thomas, ABC Justice correspondent covering the MacDill bomb investigation; Allie Pekorn, ABC Capitol Hill reporter on the Senate DHS funding deal. They discuss a Senate compromise to fund TSA and parts of DHS. They walk through the MacDill suspicious-package case. They explore the rise of instant microbetting and its impact on young people.
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Shutdown Caused TSA Staffing Crisis
- The DHS funding lapse directly worsened airport security by driving TSA staff absences and resignations.
- Allie Pekorn links long airport lines and three-hour waits to officers missing pay during the 42-day funding standoff, creating immediate economic and political pressure.
Senate Split DHS To Secure Travel And Cyber Funding
- The Senate agreement funded TSA, Coast Guard, FEMA, and CISA but intentionally left out ICE and parts of CBP.
- Allie Pekorn explains the compromise prioritized immediate travel safety and cyber/emergency functions while deferring contentious immigration funding.
Blocking Funding Didn’t Win ICE Reforms
- Democrats succeeded in blocking ICE and CBP funding in this package but won no operational reforms to ICE.
- The deal left ICE funded elsewhere by the omnibus, so Democrats claim a political win without gaining the reforms they sought.