During a March 25, 2026, House Homeland Security Committee hearing on the impacts of the ongoing partial DHS shutdown, Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) responded to TSA acting administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill’s testimony warning of possible closures or reduced operations at small airports due to severe staffing shortages, high callout rates, and record TSA wait times.
In a moment that went massively viral, Garbarino quipped sarcastically: “Maybe TSA should shut down Dulles and DCA so the Democrat senators can’t get out of here when they try to leave this week.” Blasting the hypocritical DNC.
In the viral moment, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino quipped, ” [You] talk about the possible closure of small airports. Maybe TSA should shut down Dulles and DCA so the Democrat senators can’t get out of here when they try to leave this week. And you should keep them here until they actually pass some funding.”
Speaking earlier in the same meeting, Garbarino said, “I want to start by thanking our witnesses for appearing before the Committee today. Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats shut down the Department of Homeland Security 40 days ago. Their actions are reckless, dangerous, and unacceptable.
“Today, we are fortunate to hear from the leadership of four DHS components that have been dealing with the direct impacts this shutdown has placed on their agencies, their missions, and their workforce,” he added, “It is unfortunate that Senate Democrats chose to shut down DHS and weaken our national security posture for their own political gain…”
The New Yorker added, “Senate Democrats have repeatedly held up and voted against a bipartisan, bicameral deal to fund DHS for Fiscal Year 2026. Recent developments in the Senate are showing some potential momentum towards hopefully ending this harmful shutdown soon. If a deal is proposed, we look forward to reviewing it quickly.”
Building on this point, he said, “But the fact is that DHS is still shut down today, and we should never have been in this position in the first place. And once this shutdown eventually does end, the Department and its workforce will be left dealing with the damaging consequences of it for a long time, and lawmakers need to be prepared to support them – another reason why our hearing is so important.”
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He declared, “I expect Members on the other side of the aisle to speak today about how they support funding for some DHS agencies, including those appearing before us here today, such as TSA. But they do not support the rest of DHS, including ICE and CBP.”
“To withhold funding from the Department is not only flawed but immensely dangerous. The Department of Homeland Security was created after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, in direct response to the operational siloes among security agencies and general failures in coordination and information sharing,” Garbarino explained.
Watch the clip here:
Wrapping up his comments, he said, “As a lifelong New Yorker and the representative of a community forever marked by the September 11th terrorist attacks, the mission of the Department is deeply personal for me. Twenty-five years later, its purpose is essential as ever.”
Featured image from embedded video