Sen. Lindsey Graham Spotted at Disney World During DHS Shutdown

The South Carolina senator was photographed with a bubble wand while the Department of Homeland Security remains unfunded.

Apr. 2, 2026 at 4:03am

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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was photographed at Disney World over the weekend, bubble wand in hand, waiting in line for Space Mountain while the Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for more than 45 days and TSA staff work without pay. Graham said he was in Florida for a meeting about normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel, but the optics of the senator enjoying a theme park trip during the ongoing government shutdown have drawn criticism.

Why it matters

The real story isn't a senator on Space Mountain, but rather the ongoing standoff in Congress over funding for immigration agencies, including ICE, Border Patrol, TSA, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. With TSA agents working without pay, the public's patience for political gridlock has worn thin, and images of lawmakers enjoying leisure activities during the shutdown have become a political liability.

The details

The photos, captured by TMZ, showed Graham at the theme park in Florida on Friday and Saturday. Graham told TMZ that he was invited to a meeting in South Florida on Friday with a Trump official to discuss the possibility of normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and that he then headed to Orlando to see friends. However, the optics of the senator enjoying a theme park trip during the ongoing government shutdown have drawn criticism.

  • The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for more than 45 days.
  • The photos of Graham at Disney World were taken on Friday and Saturday.

The players

Lindsey Graham

A Republican senator from South Carolina who was photographed at Disney World while the Department of Homeland Security remained unfunded.

Steve Witkoff

A Trump official that Graham met with in South Florida to discuss the possibility of normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

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What they’re saying

“I was invited to a meeting in South Florida on Friday with Trump official Steve Witkoff … to talk about the possibility of normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel.”

— Lindsey Graham, U.S. Senator

“I went to Orlando to meet friends after. I'm already back in South Carolina.”

— Lindsey Graham, U.S. Senator

What’s next

Congress needs to reach an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security and end the ongoing government shutdown.

The takeaway

The images of Sen. Lindsey Graham enjoying a trip to Disney World while the Department of Homeland Security remains unfunded and TSA agents work without pay have become a political liability, highlighting the public's frustration with the ongoing gridlock in Congress over immigration funding.