WASHINGTON – With no end in sight to the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, President Donald Trump signed an order on Friday, March 27, declaring an “unprecedented emergency” to redirect federal funds to pay airport security staff.
According to the text of the decree, the White House said it would “use appropriate and logical nexus funds for TSA operations to provide compensation and benefits to TSA employees that they would have received had the Democrat-led DHS not been closed.”
As soon as Trump signed the memo, Homeland Security Secretary Markway Mullin began the process of paying TSA workers, the agency said in a statement to USA TODAY. Unlike previous shutdowns, TSA employees should begin receiving pay checks before March 30 rather than backpay after the crisis is ultimately resolved.
The executive action, which immediately raised legal questions, was another move by the White House to completely circumvent Congress’s power of the purse early in Trump’s second term amid an intense political standoff. This comes as Republicans in the House of Representatives unanimously rejected a Senate-passed deal to fund all of DHS minus immigration enforcement operations.
The rejection of the deal in the early hours of the morning underlined a stark division between House and Senate Republicans, who had worked overnight with Democrats to try to end the crisis before Congress’s scheduled two-week recess.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on March 27, “This drama last night is a farce.”
Speaking to Fox News on Friday, President Trump said the Senate compromise was “not good.” He urged Senate Republicans, who were under the impression that the President would ultimately support their compromise, to instead get rid of the 60-vote threshold in the Senate known as the filibuster.
“What they should do now is they should eliminate the filibuster,” he said. “But you have three or four Republicans who are not doing the right thing.”
TSA workers uneasy amid uncertainty
Across the country, TSA managers were scrambling to collect timecards so workers could get paid 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, Colorado-based regional vice president of the union that represents TSA workers at 38 airports in the Rockies. “If it’s so easy to do, why didn’t they do it before? We’re not stupid. I’m excited we’re going to get something, but are we going to do this again in May?”
In a message to employees, TSA leaders thanked the workers for their efforts: “We recognize the challenges you have faced and thank you for your commitment, patience and dedication to our work and mission of keeping the traveling public safe.”
Employees expect bonuses after remaining on the job
Grana said she is waiting to see how many TSA employees show up for work at airports that have experienced long lines. During last year’s 43-day shutdown, TSA workers who stayed on the job received a $10,000 bonus, 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 were using to stay on the job.
“I’m desperate for it, but I don’t want it to seem 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, shows no end to DHS shutdown
Reporting by Zachary Sharmele, Trevor Hughes and Bart Johnson, USA TODAY/USA TODAY
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