Trump signed the order after legislation to fund DHS stalled on Capitol Hill.
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“I have determined that these circumstances constitute an emergency situation compromising the Nation’s security,” the president wrote in the official notice of the order.
TSA workers are in their second month without pay after a partial shutdown of DHS funds. The Senate – in the early hours of Thursday morning – passed a measure to fund the department but the House rejected that on Friday, prolonging a six-week shutdown.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters his chamber would move “as soon as possible” on a stopgap measure funding DHS for 60 days after federal immigration enforcement got “zero” dollars in the Senate version of the bill.
He blamed Democrats for an 11th-hour solution after holding up funding of the department for weeks.
“It is unconscionable to me that the Democrats would force some sort of negotiation at three o’clock in the morning and try to foist this upon the American people and then get on their jets and go home for their holiday — and pretend and think that we’re going to go along with that,” the speaker said.
Passengers continue to face hours-long waits at some of the country’s busiest airports. Many agents called in sick to protest the lack of pay.
“TSA officers are now losing their homes and cars, struggling to put food on the table, and are experiencing all-around financial catastrophe because of this extended shutdown, the 3rd they’ve experienced in just 6 months. Travelers are facing record breaking wait times stretching hours and hours long causing missed flights, unnecessary delays, and booking headaches,” the DHS spokesperson noted.
With many schools going on spring break and the busy Easter and Passover holidays around the corner, there was growing concern that airport chaos would worsen.
Senate Democrats have held up the funding for 42 days in protest of the ICE and Customs and Border Protection-involved fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota earlier this year.
But they did not get key reforms to federal immigration enforcement that they demanded in the bill, which excluded funding for ICE and parts of Customs and Border Protection but did fund TSA.”
