NEW YORK (AP) — The chief executives of major U.S. passenger and cargo airlines have issued a joint plea to congressional leaders, urging them to pass full-year appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and avert a partial government shutdown. The CEOs warned that a funding lapse would significantly set back the agency's security mission and hamper air travel.
In a letter dated March 13, 2026, and addressed to House and Senate leaders, the airline leaders stated that a shutdown would "immediately impact the thousands of DHS employees who protect our nation's transportation systems." They emphasized that these employees, including Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel, would be forced to work without pay, leading to increased attrition and security vulnerabilities.
The letter was signed by the CEOs of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Alaska Airlines, and the trade group Airlines for America. It calls for a bipartisan solution to fund the federal government, specifically highlighting the need for stable DHS funding as critical to aviation security and the broader economy.
Congress faces a deadline to fund several key government agencies, including DHS, to prevent a partial shutdown. The airline executives' intervention underscores the high stakes for the transportation sector, which relies on fully staffed and operational security agencies to maintain smooth travel operations.
