Our federal government’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is largely shut down because Congress and the President failed to pass the legislation necessary to keep it open and operating in our current Fiscal Year 2026. This includes the U.S. Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Secret Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The rest of our federal government remains open, operational and funded at this time.
This DHS shutdown is happening due to disagreements on ICE/CBP reforms. Following the tragic shootings involving ICE and CBP agents in Minnesota in January 2026, Congress extended funding for DHS until February 13, 2026 to negotiate sufficient reforms as a condition of any further funding of DHS beyond that date. Unfortunately, Congress was unable to agree on a compromise, and as a result DHS is now shut down.
The solution is clearly a bipartisan agreement for the good of the country that continues overall DHS funding and implements literally life-and-death law enforcement reforms that will affect all Americans. There are lots of ways to do this, and I’ve spent the recent days with like-minded colleagues walking through and advocating for various options under which we could surmount the deep partisanship and crippling my-way-or-the-highway division and achieve a bipartisan solution. For example, I cosponsored H.R. 7481, a compromise DHS funding bill that would fund most agencies in DHS except for ICE and CBP to ensure that others are not unfairly punished while we focus all our attention on ICE and CBP reform.
While I continue to work with likeminded colleagues on Capitol Hill to fund DHS and negotiate needed reforms related to ICE and CBP, I want to provide some basic information on what’s going on, why and how it may affect you, answer some common questions, detail the impact on federal employees and others, and a answer a list of frequently asked questions.
If you have any questions or are facing issues with federal DHS-related services during the shutdown, please feel free to reach out to my office at (808) 650-6688 or contact me here. We will do all we can to help you and others navigate the shutdown.
Who and What is Affected?
Despite the partial shutdown, all government functions unrelated to DHS, like national defense, transportation, food and housing assistance and more, are fully funded and will continue. Services that are independently funded outside of the yearly appropriations cycle, such as Social Security, passports, the U.S. Postal Service operations and Medicare, continue. Federal employees and contractors employed by any agency other than DHS should be unaffected.
The main effects will be felt by those that are employed by and have dealings with DHS. Those that are employed by DHS will be classified as essential or non-essential. Essential DHS functions continue and essential DHS employees and contractors remain on the job, though without pay. Non-essential DHS functions are suspended and non-essential DHS employees are furloughed without pay. Many DHS contracts will be suspended, which will likely force private companies that do business with DHS may have to furlough their employees as well.
How long will this partial shutdown last? It is unclear how long this partial shutdown will last. Some shutdowns last less than a day, while the longest one went on for 43 days. I will do my best to update you throughout this process, and again please be assured that my office will remain open.
I am a federal employee / contractor. How will this affect me? Will I receive back pay? If you are not a DHS employee/contractor, you should be unaffected. If you are a DHS employee/contractor whose responsibilities include essential services — like Transportation Security Officers — you will have to work without pay until the shutdown ends, while non-essential DHS employees will be furloughed without pay. Because of the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act, which I helped pass into law in 2019, furloughed and essential federal employees are guaranteed to receive backpay once the shutdown ends.
Can affected DHS employees access their health benefits? Affected DHS employees' health insurance coverage will continue for the duration of the shutdown. Dental, vision and long-term care insurance will continue for two pay periods, after which federal employees will be responsible for paying premiums to maintain their benefits
Can affected DHS employees get an emergency loan from their retirement fund? The Thrift Savings Plan allows employees to take out loans during a government shutdown, and the loans are automatically updated to remain in good standing even without payments during the shutdown.
What does this mean for disaster relief efforts? Federal Emergency Management Agency staff will still respond to emergencies, and agencies involved in disaster response will continue their work.
What is the impact on travel and the airlines? The public is likely to notice the effects of a shutdown most acutely with the TSA, as was the case in the 43-day government shutdown last year. If the shutdown drags on, the organization could see a high number of absences, resulting in fewer staff and longer wait times at airport security checkpoints.
How does this shutdown affect the U.S. Coast Guard? The only armed force housed under the DHS would suspend all missions except those for national security or the protection of life and property.
What about concerns regarding the nation’s cybersecurity? The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency will continue to respond to imminent threats, sharing timely vulnerability and incident information, maintaining its 24/7 operations center and operating cybersecurity shared services.
What impact is there on federal grants? No new funding is available for DHS discretionary grant programs at this time. While grant recipients with existing awards can typically continue drawing funds, that can only continue until their allocation runs out, and payments may be delayed or paused. Additionally, most DHS staff responsible for grant management are furloughed and not available to answer questions. Non-DHS grants will be unaffected.
What impacts will there be to USCIS processing? Because USCIS is primarily a fee-funded agency, most of its core operations and processing should proceed as planned during a DHS shutdown, including scheduled biometrics and interviews. E-Verify and Department of Labor certifications typically pause, and immigration courts can limit hearings. You should attend any scheduled appointments.
How will ICE be impacted? ICE, the agency at the heart of the funding standoff, will mostly continue to operate during the shutdown at first. The vast majority of its employees are considered essential and are therefore required to continue working, even as traditional funding dries up. However, during the shutdown, many employees will be forced to work without pay.
More Information
Please visits my web site at https://case.house.gov/ for updates during this shutdown. Please also call my Honolulu office at (808) 650-6688 or email me at ed.case@mail.house.gov. We can and want to help you with your questions as well as your individual needs and concerns.
