Sean Duffy Says Democrats Ready To 'Jeopardize' Travel Amid DHS Shutdown: 'Shameful'

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has slammed the Democratic Party for prolonging the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, which is set to enter day 33. Democrats Jeopardizing Travel In a post on the social media platform X on Wednesday, Duffy slammed Democratic lawmakers for the stalemate leading to the partial shutdown. "Democrats are saying the QUIET part out loud," he said in the post, adding that the lawmakers were "willing to jeopardize YOUR TRAVEL" to further their "radical, America Last agenda," he said. Democrats are saying the QUIET part out loud 🗣️They're willing to jeopardize YOUR TRAVEL in order to push their radical, America Last agendaSHAMEFUL https://t.co/wl0hk2E2EK— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) March 18, 2026 Duffy had quoted an article by Axios, which shared that a democratic lawmaker, Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), said that the shutdown was "making people hurt" and could affect the party's popularity. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies (D-NY), meanwhile, wrote a letter that outlined the Democrats' move to introduce a funding package that would cover multiple agencies within the DHS, excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). TSA Employees Miss Paychecks Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees missed their paycheck as the TSA's Union Secretary-Treasurer of the Bargaining Unit, Johnny Jones, outlined that some of his colleagues were "donating blood plasma" to pay the bills. Duffy had earlier criticized the Democrats and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for prolonging the government shutdown. Meanwhile, Airlines for America CEO Chris Sununu also warned against prolonging the shutdown. As stated above, the ongoing shutdown arises from a stalemate between lawmakers, with Democrats demanding reforms within ICE that include judicial warrants, body cameras for ICE agents and the removal of face masks. War In Iran Adds To Chaos Meanwhile, the U.S.-Iran war has added to travelers' woes, with thousands of flights canceled and delayed. Fuel costs also surged due to supply constraints as Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE:DAL) CEO Ed Bastian shared that the ongoing U.S.-Iran war has resulted in over $400 million in additional charges for the airline due to surging jet fuel costs. Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link. Photo courtesy: Joshua Sukoff / Shutterstock.com