WASHINGTON – With no end in sight to the intractable Department of Homeland Security shutdown, President Donald Trump signed an order on Friday, March 27, to reroute federal funds to pay airport security workers by declaring an “unprecedented emergency situation.”
The White House said it will “use funds that have a reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations to provide TSA employees with the compensation and benefits that would have accrued to them if not for the Democrat-led DHS shutdown,” according to text of the decree.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin began the process of paying TSA workers as soon as Trump signed the memo, the agency said in a statement to USA TODAY. Unlike in past shutdowns, TSA employees should begin receiving paychecks as early as March 30, instead of backpay after the crisis eventually resolves.
The executive action, which immediately raised legal questions, was yet another move by the White House in Trump’s second term to entirely circumvent Congress’ power of the purse amid intense political gridlock. It comes after Republicans in the House of Representatives rejected a unanimous Senate-passed deal to fund all of DHS minus immigration enforcement operations.
The rejection of the agreement, which was reached in the early hours of the morning, underlined a stark divide between House and Senate Republicans, who’d worked through the night with Democrats to try to end the crisis ahead of a scheduled two-week congressional recess.
“This gambit that was done last night is a joke,” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters March 27.
Speaking to Fox News on Friday, President Trump said the Senate compromise “wasn’t good.” He urged Senate Republicans, who’d been under the impression the president would ultimately support their agreement, instead needed to get rid of the 60-vote threshold in the Senate known as the filibuster.
“Now what they should do is they should terminate the filibuster,” he said. “But you have three or four Republicans in there that are not doing the right thing.”
TSA Workers Uneasy Amid Uncertainty
Across the country, TSA managers were scrambling to assemble timecards so workers could get backpay as soon as next week. Yet it was not immediately clear to workers on the ground whether they would be paid going forward.
“Let’s see if this actually shows up in our bank accounts next week,” said Angela Grana, the Colorado-based regional vice president of the union representing TSA workers at 38 airports across the Rockies. “If it’s so easy to do this, why didn’t they do this before? We’re not dumb. I’m excited that we’re going to get something, but are we going to go through this again in May?”
In a message to employees, TSA leaders thanked workers for their efforts: “We recognize the challenges you’ve faced and thank you for your commitment, patience, and dedication to our work and mission of keeping the traveling public safe.”
Workers Hope for Bonuses After Staying on the Job
Grana said she’s waiting to see how many TSA workers show up for work at airports that have seen long lines. During last year’s 43-day shutdown, TSA workers who remained on the job received $10,000 bonuses, and Grana said she’s hoping the same thing happens again to help workers who have been hit with late fees from credit cards they’ve been using to stay afloat.
“I’m desperate for it, but I don’t want it to sound like I’m begging for something we don’t deserve,” she said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump signs order to pay TSA workers with no DHS shutdown end in sight
Reporting by Zachary Schermele, Trevor Hughes and Bart Jansen, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
