Senate-backed bill to fund TSA and most of Homeland Security stalled by House Republicans
House Republicans are resisting a Senate-backed measure to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, which could mean an even further delay for TSA agents who have gone without pay for 42 days.
Here's the latest:
TSA funding bill hits snag in House
The Senate reached a deal early Friday to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, which includes funds for the Transportation Security Administration and most other agencies, but not for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and parts of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the immigration operations at the heart of the budget impasse.
But the measure was met with resistance by some House Republicans who were angry that ICE and CPB were not included.
What they're saying:
"It is the most reckless thing we’ve ever seen and we’re so frustrated by it," said Speaker Mike Johnson.
What's next:
Johnson said he will consult with fellow Republicans before announcing next steps.
Senate approves deal to fund TSA, most of DHS
What we know:
The Senate unanimously advanced a deal to reopen most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the wee hours of Friday morning, 42 days into the shutdown that was spurred by the Trump administration’s immigration operations in Minnesota.
The deal includes funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard and TSA, but without funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and parts of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). But it lacked the stringent reforms they desired, like requiring judicial warrants or requiring agents to unmask.
However, ICE and CBP are still flush with roughly $75 billion in cash from Trump’s "big, beautiful bill," giving the agencies a buffer for a time. The same process used to pass that colossal legislative package will likely be turned to again to fund immigration enforcement.
TSA workers endure hardship during shutdown
The funding shutdown has wreaked havoc at airports across the country, resulting in travel delays and even warnings of airport closures as TSA workers missed paychecks and stopped coming to work. Union leaders representing the workers have pushed Congress to reach a deal.
RELATED: TSA wait times still hit record highs with ICE agents in airports
After weeks of missed paychecks, many TSA agents have called in sick or even quit their jobs as financial strains pile up. Multiple airports are experiencing greater than 40% callout rates of TSA workers and nearly 500 of the agency's nearly 50,000 transportation security officers have quit during the shutdown. Nationwide on Wednesday, more than 11% of the TSA employees on the schedule missed work, according to DHS. That is more than 3,120 callouts.
On Thursday, President Trump said he would sign an emergency order that would direct the Department of Homeland Security to "immediately pay" Transportation Security Administration agents.
In a post published on his Truth Social account, the president said that he wanted to quickly stop the "Chaos at the Airports."
"It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it! I want to thank our hardworking TSA Agents and also, ICE, for the incredible help they have given us at the Airports," Trump’s post read in part.
If the Senate package is approved by the House and signed into law, the action Trump announced to pay TSA agents may be temporary or unneeded.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from FOX News, The Associated Press, and previous FOX Local reporting. This story was reported from Orlando.