Senate Passes DHS Funding Bill To End Airport Chaos After Trump Announces ‘Emergency’ Measure To Pay TSA Agents

The Department of Homeland Security is set to reopen in the coming days after the Senate passed a bill to fund all parts of the department except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Once the House passes the bill, TSA security lines are expected to grow far smaller, though Republicans are gearing up for a battle to increase ICE funding through a separate legislative process in the coming months. The urgency to fund the department became more fervent in recent days after the transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, warned last weekend that many more TSA agents were set to quit after Friday if they did not receive their paychecks. Senators have been working for weeks to try to find a compromise. The threat of longer security lines apparently moved Senate Democrats to drop their opposition by Friday, however. In the early morning hours, the Senate passed a bill to fund all parts of the department except for ICE by unanimous consent. “This could have been accomplished weeks ago if Republicans hadn’t stood in the way,” Senator Chuck Schumer said on the floor around three o’clock in the morning. “We will continue to fight for those reforms” at ICE, Mr. Schumer said. The Senate’s action followed President Trump’s announcement that he would use federal funds to pay TSA agents without congressional action. In a Truth Social post on Thursday night, Mr. Trump said that he would use his authority under the law to direct Mr. Mullin to send out paychecks, though he did not disclose specifics about what legal remedy he is deploying. “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! Therefore, 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,” Mr. Trump wrote on his social media platform. As of Thursday night, an order directing Mr. Mullin to pay agents without congressional action has not yet been made public. A Trump administration official tells the New York Sun that funds appropriated in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will be used to pay TSA agents. Senators had hoped on Monday night that they would reopen the department by this weekend, though that optimism quickly faded from view after Democrats dug in. The opposition party — which has the power to block any funding deal thanks to the 60-vote threshold — says Republicans did not offer enough guarantees about how ICE and other immigration enforcement agencies will be reformed. After Mr. Trump made his announcement on Thursday, the majority leader, Senator John Thune, said it would likely buy senators more time to negotiate a broader deal, but he made clear that he does not believe Democrats are working in good faith. “You know, obviously we want to fund everything within the DHS department, but the Democrats have made it very clear that they have no interest in funding any of the law enforcement functions,” Mr. Thune told reporters Thursday night. He said earlier in the day that he and his GOP colleagues had sent a proposal to Democrats to reopen the department, though he cautioned that it was likely their “final” offer in negotiations. Lines at security checkpoints in airports across the nation have grown incredibly long in just the last week, leading many members of Congress to scramble for a deal. Both the Senate and House were expected to begin a two-week recess on Thursday, though now Republican leadership in both chambers have warned that lawmakers may have to stay in town through the weekend in the hopes that a deal can be reached. According to the TSA, more than ten percent of all TSA agents called out of work on Tuesday, with hundreds more quitting since the DHS shutdown began last month. At some airports, TSA agent callout rates are climbing north of 40 percent, according to the agency.

Senate Passes DHS Funding Bill To End Airport Chaos After Trump Announces ‘Emergency’ Measure To Pay TSA Agents

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