{"id":452417,"date":"2026-03-16T00:02:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T05:02:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=452417"},"modified":"2026-03-16T16:36:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T21:36:38","slug":"tom-cole-americans-are-feeling-the-impact-of-a-government-shutdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2026\/03\/16\/tom-cole-americans-are-feeling-the-impact-of-a-government-shutdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Tom Cole: Americans are feeling the impact of a government shutdown"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_youtu-be\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/cxuYHbXjBiI\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/plugins\/content-cards\/skins\/default\/content-cards-placeholder.png\" alt=\" - YouTube\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/cxuYHbXjBiI\">\n\t\t\t &#8211; YouTube\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/cxuYHbXjBiI\">\n\t\t\t<p>Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/s\/desktop\/dc0b62b0\/img\/favicon.ico\" alt=\"youtu.be\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\tyoutu.be\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma): <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/cxuYHbXjBiI>Weekly Chat | Week of 3.2.26<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Americans Are Seeing The Impact<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Monday, March 16, 2026<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma) <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TomColeOK04\"><I aria-hidden=true class=\"fab fa-twitter\"><\/I><\/A><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source-website\"><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/cole.house.gov\/\">cole.house.gov<\/A><\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThanks to Senator Chuck Schumer and the caucus he leads, the Homeland Security shutdown has now entered its\u2019 fourth week &#8212; and, although the White House sent an offer a week ago, there doesn\u2019t look to be an end in sight.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nPut simply, this is unacceptable. The House has now passed legislation to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security twice. And with bipartisan support I might add. Yet Senate Democrats have chosen to use our homeland and the safety of the American people as a political bargaining chip.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThis is a dangerous and reckless choice, especially during this time when threats are heightened on the global stage. Now, the longer it continues, the more strain it puts on the systems designed to keep Americans safe. \r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Today, TSA personnel are missing their first full paychecks &#8211; thanks to Chuck Schumer and the caucus he leads. But what is ironic is that not one Senate Democrat who voted to deny paychecks for others has missed their own. <br><br>I am so tired of politicians making a political point\u2026<\/p>&mdash; Rep. Tom Cole (@TomColeOK04) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TomColeOK04\/status\/2032513553123496118?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 13, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nNational security is threatened. DHS personnel and Coast Guard servicemembers are working without pay. Training for first responders has been cancelled. A majority of the workforce at our cyber defense agency is furloughed while adversaries like Iran, Russia, and China actively target American infrastructure. Security coordination and preparation are being hampered as our nation prepares to host major global events like the 2026 World Cup.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAnd now &#8212; all the American people are starting to see the impact when they travel. Longer security lines at airports throughout the nation. Delays. Cancelled flights for Spring Break trips families were looking forward to. \r\n<p><\/p>\r\nIn fact, according to DHS statistics, Houston had a 165-minute wait time yesterday. Atlanta and New Orleans airports clocked in at 60 minutes and Charlotte at 47 minutes. These are real effects being felt by real Americans right now. \r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Chairman <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TomColeOK04?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@TomColeOK04<\/a> said it best: emergency preparedness and national security are not optional. Shutdowns don&#39;t keep Americans safe.<br><br>Read Chairman Cole&#39;s remarks on this week&#39;s bill to reopen DHS and fully fund it through the end of the year. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/xs8dehunHS\">https:\/\/t.co\/xs8dehunHS<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/upbKTcSCGh\">pic.twitter.com\/upbKTcSCGh<\/a><\/p>&mdash; House Appropriations (@HouseAppropsGOP) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HouseAppropsGOP\/status\/2028965296359297029?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 3, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe Republican-led House has already acted responsibly for the American people &#8211; twice. It is time for the Senate to follow suit. \r\n<p><\/p>\r\nSenate Democrats must join their Republican colleagues and vote to pass Homeland Security funding in order for the Department to go back to its mission of protecting our homeland. The American people are counting on them.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<HR><DIV class=\"row\">\r\n<DIV class=\"col-md-4\"><IMG class=\"img-fluid wow fadeIn\" \r\nsrc=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2019\/05\/30\/tomcole.jpg\" \r\nitemprop=\"image\"><\/IMG><\/DIV>\r\n<DIV class=\"col-md-8\"><EM>Tom Cole, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, is serving his eleventh term in the U.S. Congress as the elected representative of Oklahoma&#8217;s 4th Congressional District. He is recognized as an advocate for taxpayers and small business, a proponent for a strong national defense and a leader in promoting biomedical research. He is considered the foremost expert in the U.S. House of Representatives on issues dealing with Native Americans and tribal governments.  He is the Chairman, the top Republican leadership position on the committee, of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which he has served on since 2009. He also previously served as the Chairman of the House Rules Committee. Cole and his wife, Ellen, have one son, Mason, and reside in Moore, Oklahoma. <\/EM><\/DIV><\/DIV><HR>\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/16\/TomCole-10.jpg\" alt=\"Tom Cole\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" class=\"invisible\" \/> ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Senate Democrats must join their Republican colleagues and vote to pass Homeland Security funding.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":452466,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9,14,23],"tags":[5366,214,94,336,121,6024,48,127,85,91,224,297,164],"class_list":["post-452417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","category-politics","category-world","tag-119th","tag-appropriations","tag-democrats","tag-dhs","tag-employment","tag-fy2026","tag-house","tag-oklahoma","tag-republicans","tag-senate","tag-shutdown","tag-tom-cole","tag-transportation","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-1TH3","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/16\/TomCole-10.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=452417"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":452468,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452417\/revisions\/452468"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/452466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=452417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=452417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=452417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}