March 12 (UPI) — Transportation Security Administration employees will miss their first paycheck Saturday because of the partial government shutdown while senators try to find a way forward.
The Department of Homeland Security shutdown began Feb. 14 after Congress approved funding for all other departments, but Democrats refused to fund Homeland Security without guardrails on immigration enforcement and then-secretary Kristi Noem. Republicans and President Donald Trump are refusing to take that step.
On Wednesday, the Senate debated options to get funding for the department, but no bill was passed.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., offered an option of funding all other agencies within the DHS except Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. That would give more time to debate those two agencies while allowing funding for TSA, Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
“As for the rest of DHS that does important work to keep Americans safe like FEMA, Coast Guard, TSA, Democrats are here, we are trying to fund those agencies — while ICE and Border Patrol negotiations continue,” CNBC reported Murray said.
But Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., blocked the measure. She offered a two-week plan to fund all of DHS, which Murray blocked.
“We have political games being played by our Democratic colleagues instead of putting the people of this nation first,” The Hill reported Britt said. “Mr. President, what we’ve just seen put forth by the senator from Washington would effectively defund our law enforcement officers who are charged with keeping Americans safe. Look, we’re not going back to the era of defund police. We’re not doing it.”
Murray responded: “All the bill I just offered does is fund the rest of DHS while talks continue on ICE and Border Patrol, and the simple fact is Republicans have already funded these agencies when they gave them more money, than most militaries by the way, in their Big Ugly Bill.”
Democrats don’t want to pass the funding without changes because of the deaths of two American citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — who were killed by agents while protesting the government’s surge of agents in the city.
Republicans fear funding for ICE and Border Patrol will never pass alone because of their narrow majority in the Senate.
“We’re in a terrible conundrum here,” Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., said on the Senate floor.
Before the vote, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Murray’s plan was simply about funding.
“I don’t want to hear any complaints from Republicans about TSA not being funded if they block this today. I don’t want to hear any complaints from Republicans about Coast Guard not being funded if they block this today.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., accused Democrats of refusing to negotiate.
“I guess I’m at a loss as to why we continue to have an attempt, a one-sided attempt, it is, to actually sit down and solve this deal, and why we can’t, then, at least fund these agencies with a continuing resolution until such time as we can,” Thune said.