Former Attorney General William Barr was spotted standing in a long TSA queue at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. He, along with other travelers, had to wait three hours in line amid the partial government shutdown. In a conversation with ABC News, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that fewer TSA agents will show up to work in the coming days and said that “Democrats want to see long lines at airports as leverage.”
Barr dealt firsthand with a lengthy government shutdown during Donald Trump’s first term as president. However, he backed Trump during that time. Now, he ironically is in the same position as other general travelers. Meanwhile, the White House stays adamant that it won’t give in to any demands posed by Democratic lawmakers.
Even former AG Bill Barr waited 3 hours in a TSA line at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).
CBS reports massive delays amid the DHS funding lapse and TSA staffing shortages. pic.twitter.com/X75hXPVYUA
— NewsSportzz (@NewsSportzz) March 25, 2026
During his tenure, William Barr drew flak by defending Donald Trump and unnecessarily intervening in the 2016 election. However, the two eventually had a falling out.
Once a close partnership, Barr’s relationship with Trump started to get strained when the former AG didn’t entertain some of Trump’s unfounded claims. William Barr’s eventual resignation from the Justice Department followed an already bitter relationship with Donald Trump, marring the connection altogether. The president, at the time, was furious at Barr for not conducting an investigation into his political rivals and what Trump claims the “election fraud” of 2020.
After their alliance ended, William Barr criticised his former boss, saying, “(Trump is) a consummate narcissist, and he constantly engages in reckless conduct… He will always put his own interests and gratifying his own ego ahead of the country’s interests.”
In his final letter to the DOJ staff, William Barr wrote, “Over the past two years, the dedicated men and women of this Department—including its operational components—have risen to meet historic challenges and upheld our vital mission to enforce the rule of law.”
“I have been continually inspired by your professionalism and outstanding work. As I did almost 30 years ago, I leave this office with deep respect for you, and I will always be grateful for your devoted service to the nation we love.”
WATCH — @SenatorWarnock: “ICE has more funding than the Marines. And Republicans are saying ‘if you don’t give this overgrown paramilitary force of masked agents more money, we’re going to leave TSA workers unpaid.’” 🤔 pic.twitter.com/14GFeJaMYD
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) March 25, 2026
William Barr, like millions of Americans, is forced to stand in an hours-long line as Democrats have blocked funding for the Department of Homeland Security to push for legislative updates to ICE. Some of their proposals include requiring agents not to wear face masks, wear body cameras , and have warrants signed by a judge before entering a home or business. Republicans, however, have turned down every single one of the proposals.
Major U.S. airports are now facing long lines owing to the lack of funding for the DHS. Transportation Security Administration employees are forced to work without pay. Heartbreaking stories of TSA agents are now making headlines as the partial government shutdown has exceeded a month.
