Network Newscasts Continue to Shield Democrats During DHS Shutdown

Jorge Bonilla
March 24th, 2026 12:59 AM

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As the DHS-only government shutdown rages on, the Elitist Media’s broadcast network newscasts continue to work overtime to shield the Democrats from accountability over their role in creating the shutdown in the first place. This dirty work is being performed as security lines worsen across the nation’s airports.

Consider this portion to close ABC’s report on World News Tonight. President Trump is framed here as the intransigent party, with Democrats simply wanting to bring reforms to the agency:

STEVE OSUNSAMI: Republicans had entertained the idea of reopening all of the Department of Homeland Security except for ICE, and to fund that agency separately. But tonight, President Trump says make no deal unless you pass his voter ID act.

DONALD TRUMP: And I'm suggesting strongly to the Republican Party, don't make any deal on anything. The most important thing we can have is what’s called the SAVE America Act. Don't make any deal on anything unless you include voter ID, and you have to be a citizen to vote.

OSUNSAMI: But Democrats say they’ve offered to pay the TSA agents immediately, and that it’s the ICE and Border Patrol agents who they want to bring changes to.

PASSENGER: I honestly think that the politicians should just quit penalizing the people who are trying to do their job and frankly they shouldn't get paid until they get this straightened out.

Watching this, you’d think it was Republicans who insisted on shutting the DHS down. CBS doesn’t do much better on the Evening News. Watch as Nikole Killion weirdly frames Trump as more optimistic on Iran than on reopening DHS:

NIKOLE KILLION: Despite the chaos at some of the nation's airports, President Trump urged Republicans to not to make a deal to end the DHS shutdown unless Democrats back one of his top priorities, a voter ID bill known as the SAVE America Act. 

DONALD TRUMP: It should be part of the Homeland Security bill and I’m requesting that the Republican senators do that immediately. You don't have to take a fast vote, don't worry about Easter going home, in fact make this one for Jesus.

KILLION: The White House called off a Monday meeting with Senate Democrats, even though some progress was made last week with border czar Tom Holman.

CHUCK SCHUMER: Let’s make it very clear. Donald Trump is the one standing in the way of paychecks for TSA workers, with the ridiculous attempt to pass the SAVE Act.

KILLION: The president appeared more optimistic about reaching a deal with Iran.

Note that the Elitist Media is finally seeming to show some interest in reporting on the SAVE America Act. Not on its merits, mind you, but as a way to Trumpwash DHS coverage and help Democrats escape accountability for shutting down DHS.

NBC seems to have inadvertently undermined the shutdown, by emphasizing the specialized training and experience of TSA officers:

TOM LLAMAS: All right, and Jesse joins us live from Hartsfield. And Jesse, we see some good news there behind you, those lines not really there at night, but the airport's GM told you there's only one solution to get those lines fully back to normal and it might not happen soon?

JESSE KIRSCH: Yeah, Tom, the GM says the only quick fix is finding a way to pay TSA, because it can take months for those officers to be fully trained. And they are the only federal officers certified to screen the flying public. Tom.

LLAMAS: And those lines always much worse in the morning. Jesse, we thank you.

To their credit, NBC also mentioned the arrest of an illegal alien at SFO by ICE agents, which had nothing to do with this airport surge. But they didn’t even acknowledge the existence of a DHS shutdown, which exposes the gross double standard at play here. Because we all know that if the parties were inverted here, shutdown coverage would be much (D)ifferent.

Click “expand” to view the full transcripts of the aforementioned reports as aired on their respective newscasts on Monday, March 23rd, 2026:

ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT

3/23/26

6:37 PM

DAVID MUIR: There are also breaking developments. Tonight, at airports across the U.S., hundreds of ICE agents have been deployed to more than a dozen airports. President Trump sending them in amid the growing TSA security lines. It’s Day 38 now of this shutdown. TSA workers still going without pay. Tonight those TSA workers and passengers, some waiting six hours in line, saying lawmakers from both parties should come up with a solution to pay the workers, and why President Trump is telling the Republicans not to make a deal. Steve Osunsami at the airport in Atlanta.

STEVE OSUNSAMI: While lawmakers in Washington tonight struggle to come up with a deal to end the partial government shutdown and end the long security lines at the nation's airports, federal ICE agents under the order of the president have started appearing in at least 14 airports, charged with helping move people through security checkpoints. They've certainly been visible in Houston, New Orleans, Phoenix, Atlanta and Newark- without the masks that bring complaints from their critics. But outside of crowd control, passengers say they aren't seeing much of a difference.

PASSENGER: Oh, we’re going to Comic Con.

PASSENGER: Yeah. 12:30.

OSUNSAMI: You got here really early.

PASSENGER: Yeah. Six hours.

OSUNSAMI: People who are giving themselves several hours to get through security are still cutting it close or missing their flights, caught in lines running out into the street. KTRK’s Sarah al-Shaikh is in Houston.

SARAH al-SHAIKH: We're inside Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston where the line stretches down here to the basement and goes up two more floors to the TSA checkpoint. People telling us it's taking them about five hours to make it to that checkpoint.

OSUNSAMI: The number of TSA officers without a paycheck who no longer coming into work continues to grow. Around 40% calling out in New Orleans, Atlanta, and Houston Intercontinental on Sunday.

TOM HOMAN: What I see ICE agents doing is helping TSA plug the holes of security.

OSUNSAMI: But the union that represents TSA workers says that ICE can't really help move the lines because the agents aren’t trained to work airport security.

UNION REP: ICE agents can’t work a lane (unint)

OSUNSAMI: Republicans had entertained the idea of reopening all of the Department of Homeland Security except for ICE, and to fund that agency separately. But tonight, President Trump says make no deal unless you pass his voter ID act.

DONALD TRUMP: And I'm suggesting strongly to the Republican Party, don't make any deal on anything. The most important thing we can have is what’s called the SAVE America Act. Don't make any deal on anything unless you include voter ID, and you have to be a citizen to vote.

OSUNSAMI: But Democrats say they’ve offered to pay the TSA agents immediately, and that it’s the ICE and Border Patrol agents who they want to bring changes to.

PASSENGER: I honestly think that the politicians should just quit penalizing the people who are trying to do their job and frankly they shouldn't get paid until they get this straightened out.

OSUNSAMI: TSA workers have now gone 38 days without a full paycheck, and are having to make that work, and this standoff right now has no end in sight. David.

MUIR: Yeah that was something. The passenger who you she was waiting six hours today. Thank you.

CBS EVENING NEWS

3/23/26

6:38 PM

TONY DOKOUPIL: A deal to pay TSA officers and get them back to work is the only fix for the problems at America's airports, but Washington does not seem close to it. Here’s congressional correspondent Nikole Killion with more on that and also the latest from Washington on the war with Iran.

NIKOLE KILLION: Despite the chaos at some of the nation's airports, President Trump urged Republicans to not to make a deal to end the DHS shutdown unless Democrats back one of his top priorities, a voter ID bill known as the SAVE America Act. 

DONALD TRUMP: It should be part of the Homeland Security bill and I’m requesting that the Republican senators do that immediately. You don't have to take a fast vote, don't worry about Easter going home, in fact make this one for Jesus.

KILLION: The White House called off a Monday meeting with Senate Democrats, even though some progress was made last week with border czar Tom Holman.

CHUCK SCHUMER: Let’s make it very clear. Donald Trump is the one standing in the way of paychecks for TSA workers, with the ridiculous attempt to pass the SAVE Act.

KILLION: The president appeared more optimistic about reaching a deal with Iran.

TRUMP: We have had very, very strong talks. We will see where they lead. We have points- major points of agreement.

KILLION: Trump had threatened to strike Iran’s energy infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz remained closed. Today, he backed off the threat.

TRUMP: We were planning tomorrow on shooting down some of their power plants and we’re not- we’re going to hold that up. Hopefully we won't have to do it.

KILLION: The news sent markets up more than 600 points while oil prices fell below $100 a barrel, but the average gas price continued to climb towards $4 a gallon, now at $3.96.

TRUMP: The price of oil will drop like a rock as soon as a deal is done…

KILLION: The president says Special Envoy (to the Middle East) Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner are handling discussions with Iran, but he wouldn't say exactly who they are negotiating with, only noting that it's a top person. A senior Iranian official tells CBS News they received points from the U.S. and are reviewing them. Tony.

DOKOUPIL: Nikole. Thank you very much.

NBC NIGHTLY NEWS

3/23/26

6:38 PM

TOM LLAMAS: Now to those massive security lines at many airports across the country. And the president's new controversial push to help speed them up by sending in ICE officers. Here's Jesse Kirsch.

KIRSCH: Tonight from Chicago's O'Hare to Atlanta and Houston, some seeing hours-long security lines.

PASSENGER: It's ridiculous.

KIRSCH: And tonight, a new twist. The Trump administration sending hundreds of ICE agents in hopes of speeding things up.

DONALD TRUMP: They'll do great. And if that's not enough, I'll bring in the National Guard.

KIRSCH: Thousands of unpaid TSA officers have called out sick, with the Department of Homeland Security now not fully funded for over a month. ICE agents sent to roughly a dozen airports so far.

PASSENGER: It makes you nervous and you wonder, you know, why they're here and what they're doing.

PASSENGER: I appreciate them working. I feel bad for the TSA people not getting paid.

KIRSCH: A senior ICE official tells NBC News agents can help check IDs and handle crowd control but they're not trained on x-ray machines. In Atlanta, we saw ICE agents helping this woman into a wheelchair.

RICKY SMITH: The only fix is if there's another group of federal employees that are certified to process passengers as the TSA is.

KIRSCH: ICE seeming to have little impact on the morning rush here. 

Typically, you want to give yourself about two hours at the airport in case you run into a line. But if you think this looks bad, these people are in the same line and it stretches to baggage claim. And that line doesn't end until it reaches the other end of the terminal and spills onto the sidewalk. 

And tonight, President Trump also saying he's asked ICE agents at airports to not wear masks.

TRUMP: I'm a big believer that they should be able to wear masks when they go and hunt down murderers, criminals, and others. But for purposes of the airport, I requested that they take off the masks.

KIRSCH: Meanwhile, this woman was arrested by ICE Sunday at San Francisco's airport. DHS says she's from Guatemala, had a deportation order signed by a judge and tried to flee as officers were deporting her. DHS saying the incident was unrelated to efforts to help TSA.

LLAMAS: All right, and Jesse joins us live from Hartsfield. And Jesse, we see some good news there behind you, those lines not really there at night, but the airport's GM told you there's only one solution to get those lines fully back to normal and it might not happen soon?

KIRSCH: Yeah, Tom, the GM says the only quick fix is finding a way to pay TSA, because it can take months for those officers to be fully trained. And they are the only federal officers certified to screen the flying public. Tom.

LLAMAS: And those lines always much worse in the morning. Jesse, we thank you.

 

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