On Friday, Republicans in the US House of Representatives rejected a bipartisan effort from the Senate aimed at ending the prolonged partial government shutdown that has left many airport security officers working without pay.
House Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed the Senate bill, which received unanimous approval early Friday morning, calling it a “joke.”
Johnson stated that Republicans would propose their own legislation to fully fund the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
However, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer argued that such a bill would be “dead on arrival.”
The Senate’s proposal, passed in an unusual overnight vote, sought to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, including TSA and the US Coast Guard, but excluded ICE and parts of CBP.
Democrats have insisted on not funding those agencies unless there are changes to immigration enforcement practices.![]()
As Congress and the White House clashed over policies, citizens stepped up to donate food for unpaid TSA agents Image: Tim Evans/REUTERS
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Trump Takes Action to Pay TSA Workers
As Congress remains gridlocked, President Donald Trump signed an executive action on Friday to ensure TSA employees who have been working without pay since mid-February receive compensation. “America’s air travel system has reached its breaking point,” Trump said in the memo authorizing these payments. “I have determined that these circumstances constitute an emergency situation compromising the Nation’s security,” he added. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced on Friday that TSA workers “should begin seeing paychecks as early as Monday.”Political Tensions Lead to Long Airport Waits and Unpaid TSA Staff
The ongoing funding dispute has centered around both ICE and CBP. Congressional Democrats initially blocked funds following President Trump’s controversial deployment of armed federal agents predominantly to cities run by Democrats. This aggressive stance from ICE and CBP deployments has resulted in numerous violent encounters with citizens. In January, ICE agents shot and killed two US citizens – one unarmed and another legally carrying a firearm – just days apart. Both events occurred during confrontations stemming from ICE attempts to arrest “illegal immigrants” while dispersing protesters and observers. Prior to Friday’s developments, Democrats had offered to fund various agencies separately in order to prevent a lengthy funding standoff. However, Trump instructed Congressional Republicans to decline this approach. Evidently frustrated with Democrats’ tactics, Trump insists on full funding only. He told Republicans that no bills should be considered until his so-called Save America Act passes – a contentious new bill aimed at introducing “voting security measures” by requiring voters show identification like a passport or birth certificate when voting. Democrats have criticized this initiative as a blatant attempt at voter suppression.Minneapolis: Clashes over fatal shooting at ICE protest
To view this video please enable Java Script, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Edited by: Alex Berry, Sean Sinico, Wesley DockerySource link
