White House Urges Congress to Suspend Recess, Fund DHS

President Trump calls on lawmakers to return to D.C. and address TSA staffing issues during government shutdown.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 1:19am

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An abstract, fragmented painting of the U.S. Capitol building in shades of blue, red, and gold, conveying the sense of political chaos and gridlock in Washington.The White House's call for Congress to return from recess and address the DHS funding crisis reflects the ongoing partisan tensions in the nation's capital.Washington Today

The White House said on Monday that President Donald Trump is urging lawmakers to come back from their paid recess and work on funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the president is calling on members to return to the nation's capital, which they are not scheduled to do until their recess ends in two weeks.

Why it matters

The ongoing DHS shutdown has led to skyrocketing wait times at airport TSA checkpoints, disrupting air travel for many Americans. The White House is pressuring Congress to act quickly to resolve the funding impasse and reopen the agency.

The details

Leavitt said that Trump cannot just continue to sign memoranda and blasted Democrats for 'holding our entire country hostage' with their demands for restrictions on funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). She also noted that 'nothing will be truly normal again until Democrats do the right thing to fund this agency fully'.

  • The president signed a memorandum on March 28th directing DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to work with OMB Director Russ Vought to pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents.
  • Congress is currently on a paid recess and is not scheduled to return to Washington for another two weeks.

The players

President Donald Trump

The President of the United States who is urging Congress to return from recess and address the DHS funding impasse.

Karoline Leavitt

The White House press secretary who spoke to reporters about the president's call for Congress to act.

Markwayne Mullin

The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Russ Vought

The Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

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What they’re saying

“The president has stepped in to do the right thing at this moment in time, but the president is also encouraging Congress to come back to Washington to permanently fix this problem and to fund and reopen the Department of Homeland Security entirely.”

— Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary

“Democrats in Congress have pushed our air travel system to its breaking point and inflicted massive pain on Americans with their reckless political games”

— Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary

“The president just can't keep signing presidential memorandums and proclamations every time Congress fails to do its job, and every time Democrats are holding our entire country hostage, picking and choosing which programs and agencies they want to fund just because they don't like this administration's policies.”

— Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary

What’s next

The White House is calling on Congress to return from recess and permanently resolve the DHS funding impasse, rather than relying on temporary presidential actions.

The takeaway

This standoff over DHS funding highlights the ongoing partisan gridlock in Washington, with the White House accusing Democrats of 'holding the country hostage' over immigration policy. Resolving the issue will require bipartisan cooperation, which has proven elusive in the current political climate.