Yesterday, President Donald Trump vowed to issue an Executive Order to pay TSA agents if Democrats in Congress did not end their filibuster against the Department of Homeland Security funding bill.
In a lengthy Truth Social post where he savaged Democrats for their role in refusing to fund the Department of Homeland Security, Trump said he would see that the agents are paid.
“Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis, I am using my authorities under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always will do!” wrote the President, according to reporting by the New York Post.
“I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports. It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it!,” he wrote.
Under the National Emergency Act, the president could order unspent government funds to be used to temporarily pay TSA employees — a move that would bypass Congress.
Republicans have the majority in the Senate but lack the 60 votes needed to overcome the Democrats’ filibuster and advance the DHS funding bill.
TSA workers have been calling in sick to protest the lack of pay. As a result, long lines at security checkpoints have caused backups at many airports.
In an olive branch to Democrats – we call it a cave-in – Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on Thursday he was giving Democrats his “final” offer. His proposal would fund all of DHS except the part of ICE that handles enforcement and removal operations, a move he hoped would break the logjam by giving Democrats a temporary victory on one of their major issues.
Early this morning, the New York Post reported Senators approved Thune’s “final offer” to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security through the end of September, taking a major step toward ending the 42-day partial shutdown that has seen hundreds of airport security workers quit after missing paychecks and snarled travel nationwide.
The agreement, passed by voice vote before Senators departed Washington for a two-week recess for Easter and Passover, will be considered by the House later today.
The last-ditch deal does not include any of the demands Democrats have placed on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — including that agents be barred from wearing masks and operate under tougher warrant requirements to detain illegal aliens.
The bill does not provide funding for ICE or Border Patrol, but those subagencies already received billions of dollars under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law by President Trump this past July and immigration enforcement has gone on uninterrupted by the shutdown.
Thune said of the senate bill it was “not the way to fund the department. But, we were out of time.”
Out of time for what?
Once again, Senate Republicans have kicked the can down the road, instead of bringing a battle to a successful conclusion. It looks to us like Thune, as usual, put Congress getting out of DC for vacation ahead of fighting and winning a battle with Democrats on an issue the Democrats were clearly losing.
In a lengthy Truth Social post where he savaged Democrats for their role in refusing to fund the Department of Homeland Security, Trump said he would see that the agents are paid.
“Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis, I am using my authorities under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always will do!” wrote the President, according to reporting by the New York Post.
“I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports. It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it!,” he wrote.
Under the National Emergency Act, the president could order unspent government funds to be used to temporarily pay TSA employees — a move that would bypass Congress.
Republicans have the majority in the Senate but lack the 60 votes needed to overcome the Democrats’ filibuster and advance the DHS funding bill.
TSA workers have been calling in sick to protest the lack of pay. As a result, long lines at security checkpoints have caused backups at many airports.
In an olive branch to Democrats – we call it a cave-in – Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on Thursday he was giving Democrats his “final” offer. His proposal would fund all of DHS except the part of ICE that handles enforcement and removal operations, a move he hoped would break the logjam by giving Democrats a temporary victory on one of their major issues.
Early this morning, the New York Post reported Senators approved Thune’s “final offer” to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security through the end of September, taking a major step toward ending the 42-day partial shutdown that has seen hundreds of airport security workers quit after missing paychecks and snarled travel nationwide.
The agreement, passed by voice vote before Senators departed Washington for a two-week recess for Easter and Passover, will be considered by the House later today.
The last-ditch deal does not include any of the demands Democrats have placed on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — including that agents be barred from wearing masks and operate under tougher warrant requirements to detain illegal aliens.
The bill does not provide funding for ICE or Border Patrol, but those subagencies already received billions of dollars under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law by President Trump this past July and immigration enforcement has gone on uninterrupted by the shutdown.
Thune said of the senate bill it was “not the way to fund the department. But, we were out of time.”
Out of time for what?
Once again, Senate Republicans have kicked the can down the road, instead of bringing a battle to a successful conclusion. It looks to us like Thune, as usual, put Congress getting out of DC for vacation ahead of fighting and winning a battle with Democrats on an issue the Democrats were clearly losing.
