Longest DHS Shutdown in History Ends—This Must Not Happen Again

U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman issued the following statement on the House passing funding for the Department of Homeland Security:

“We thank the House of Representatives for taking the final step to end the longest Department of Homeland Security shutdown in history.

“While the bill passed today restores funding certainty for much of DHS, there are no real winners in a shutdown. More than 1,100 TSA officers have already left the workforce, morale has been undermined, and with just weeks until the World Cup, our preparedness has taken a step backward. We emerge from this disruption weaker, not stronger.

“Over the past seven months, it has become clear that some in Congress are increasingly willing to use government shutdowns to advance political goals. That approach carries real consequences for our national security and the traveling public.

“Congress must ensure that TSA officers and air traffic controllers are never again treated as political footballs. Lawmakers should act to guarantee that these critical workers are paid during any future shutdown.”