A DHS Shutdown Isn’t Just Causing Airport Delays — It’s Putting America At Risk
The Dr. Phil Podcast
Dr. Phil McGraw
4.3 • 13.5K Ratings
🗓️ 24 March 2026
⏱️ 22 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of The Real Story, Dr. Phil breaks down how Congress’ failure to pass a budget is impacting national security, from TSA and border protection to cyber defense and the Secret Service. With 260,000 Department of Homeland Security employees affected many working without pay — the consequences go far beyond long lines at the airport. Staffing shortages, burnout, and financial stress are hitting the very people responsible for keeping the country safe. This is bigger than politics. This is about national security and the real cost of leadership failure.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I have a message for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle that once again can't get a budget |
| 0:06.7 | passed. |
| 0:07.6 | Now, to quote my pals at ESPN, come on, man, cut the crap and do your jobs. |
| 0:16.0 | Do you think we are stupid? |
| 0:18.4 | I look stupid to you. |
| 0:20.6 | And I don't know, maybe we are. |
| 0:22.3 | This marks the 13th government shutdown since 1980. |
| 0:28.4 | All because Congress failed to do its most basic job. |
| 0:33.0 | Pass a budget. |
| 0:34.2 | Every family in America has a budget. |
| 0:36.5 | Everybody has to be accountable, count their money, |
| 0:39.0 | make sure he ends meet. But not Congress. A budget has not been passed because you can't find a way |
| 0:45.4 | to get it done. Americans are being herded through airport security like chickens into a coop. |
| 0:53.0 | And I got to ask you, how many bad eggs are slipping through an overwhelmed system? |
| 1:01.0 | Ask yourself, why does that matter? |
| 1:03.6 | Why does it matter that we have an overwhelmed system and anybody could be slipping through that system. |
| 1:13.5 | This is all the TSA line. |
| 1:17.5 | I've seen enough videos of travelers waiting hours just to get through TSA, fatigued, |
| 1:25.3 | overworked, and oh, by the way, not getting paid. Pretty dismal looking. |
| 1:30.6 | And if you've seen it in person, you know what I mean. But the real story is this. This is much |
| 1:36.2 | bigger than travel delays, although that's big enough. The real question is, why? During a time of war and rising global tension, are lawmakers putting |
| 1:49.0 | politics head of national security? The real story is brought to you by Preserve Gold. |
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