Sunday marked approximately six weeks of the partial government shutdown that has created chaos at U.S. airports, as an impasse over Department of Homeland Security funding has forced TSA agents to go without pay. But that doesn’t seem to have deterred Sen. Lindsey Graham from stopping by the Most Magical Place on Earth for a bite with Mickey and friends on a weekend trip through the Sunshine State.
On Sunday, TMZ published photographs of the Republican senator, who is currently on recess until mid-April, dining at Chef Mickey’s at Disney World’s Contemporary Resort in Orlando. The restaurant, which is staffed by classic Disney characters, reportedly chose a more discreet table in the back corner for the South Carolina politician, whose flamboyant personality and preoccupation with LGBTQ+ issues have earned him plenty of almost laughable headlines during his lengthy time in office. But his presence at the buffet restaurant, where he dined with an unidentified “younger woman and a kid,” was still registered by the other patrons.
In response to the report, Graham told the outlet that he went to the theme park to visit friends after attending a meeting in South Florida with President Trump’s international relations envoy Steve Witkoff — “to talk about the possibility of normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel” — but that he is already back in South Carolina. He also said, defiantly, “I voted 7 times to fully fund the government. Call a Democrat.”
The pictures surfaced after TMZ put out a call last week for readers to send in photos of members of Congress enjoying themselves during the planned two-week recess, despite the government shutdown causing a standstill at U.S. airports. As a result, the outlet has published images of Wyoming Senator John Barrasso, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, and others flying out of the U.S. capital. But none of those photos capture what many voters feel is their representatives’ lack of concern for the consequences of the funding impasse quite as well as the Disney World pics — which feature the senator topping off his coffee while characters and plainclothes staff clap with characteristic cheer.
During the historically long shutdown, TSA employees have been working without pay, resulting in significantly higher callout and quit rates and winding security lines stretching out to airport sidewalks in some cases. In response, Trump has deployed ICE agents to travel hubs to provide support for overwhelmed airport staff, though given the armed guards are not trained on TSA security protocol, it’s unclear exactly how they could help alleviate — rather than worsen — the situation.
Most travelers agree that what would be helpful is the government restarting payroll for TSA workers — something Trump has promised to make happen in the next few days. But with the shutdown presumably set to stretch on for another two weeks, while members of Congress get a break from their capitol duties, and maybe even take a moment to tap into their inner child, it’s unclear who will be funding those paychecks.
