Senators are discussing a proposal to end the Homeland Security budget stalemate by funding much of the department, including Transportation Security Administration airport workers who are going without pay. The deal would exclude U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's removal operations, which have been core to the dispute.
As U.S. airports remain jammed with long lines due to short staffing at TSA, President Donald Trump ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to provide airport security, alarming some lawmakers. At least 458 TSA officers have quit altogether, according to DHS.
DHS is now being overseen by Markwayne Mullin, whose nomination the Senate approved on Monday. Mullin has tried to present himself as a steady hand, saying his goal as secretary would be to get the department off the front page of the news.
Here's the latest:
Airport chaos inspires bill to end Congress’ TSA perks
Under longstanding rules, Congress members can bypass airport checkpoints and get escorted to the front of the line — a privilege that sharply contrasts the hours many passengers are facing right now at some airports.
The “End Special Treatment for Congress at Airports Act,” sponsored by Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn, would require lawmakers to undergo the same TSA screening as everyone else. It would also bar the use of federal funds to provide U.S. lawmakers with expedited or preferential access at security checkpoints.
“Nobody should be above the rules and regulations imposed on the American people, and a member pin on your lapel should not give you carte blanche to skip airport screening lines while everyday Americans are forced to patiently wait their turn,” Cornyn said when he introduced the bill earlier this month.
The bill passed the Senate last week.
‘Why are we making TSA employees the pawn on the chessboard?’
Union leaders representing transportation security officers across the U.S. reiterated the financial strain many workers are facing as the shutdown drags on.
“Stop asking me about the long lines. Ask me if somebody’s gonna eat today,” said Hydrick Thomas, TSA Council 100 president of the American Federation of Government Employees, on a Tuesday press call.
Thomas, who has been employed with TSA for nearly 24 years, stressed that workers are struggling to pay rent and meet other critical expenses like utilities and child care. Those who have quit, he added, are “quitting because they have no choice.”
He and others underlined that TSA workers have been in this position before, pointing to the record 43-day full government shutdown that also left TSA workers without pay last fall.
“Why are we making TSA employees the pawn on the chessboard?” Thomas asked.
Trump punts on question about emerging DHS deal
The president, when asked Tuesday whether he would back a deal that would separate funding for immigration enforcement operations from the rest of the Department of Homeland Security, said, “They’re working on all of that.”
Senators are drafting language on a potential agreement that would include funding for DHS agencies, such as TSA, but not enforcement and removal operations at ICE.
“That’s a detail that they’ll explain later,” Trump said.
The White House had said earlier that discussions were ongoing but that the rough contour of the deal “seems to be acceptable.”
Trump spoke as he hosted a swearing-in for Markwayne Mullin to lead DHS.
