Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is facing criticism after being spotted at Disney World over the weekend while federal workers remain unpaid during a partial government shutdown.
Disney World Trip Sparks Controversy
Graham was seen at the Orlando theme park on Friday and Saturday, waiting in line for Space Mountain with a bubble wand, reported The Hill.
TMZ released the photos after requesting images of lawmakers away from Washington during the shutdown.
“I was invited to a meeting in South Florida on Friday with Trump official Steve Witkoff … to talk about the possibility of normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel,” Graham told TMZ in a statement also shared with The Hill.
He added, “I went to Orlando to meet friends after. I’m already back in South Carolina.”
Graham told TMZ, “I voted 7 times to fully fund the government. Call a Democrat.”
In reality, responsibility falls on both Democrats and Republicans, as neither side has been able to get the job done, said Graham, according to the report.
On Monday, he posted a photo of himself hunting in Edgefield County, S.C., further emphasizing his return home.
TSA Workers Paid Amid Shutdown Controversy
Last week, President Donald Trump declared an emergency over the ongoing Democrat-led Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
He ordered immediate pay for over 60,000 Transportation Security Administration employees, including 50,000 frontline officers who had been working without pay.
The shutdown, in its sixth week, arose from Democrats’ refusal to fund DHS without changes to federal immigration enforcement.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) accused Republicans of blocking TSA funding to push the SAVE Act, calling it “holding TSA workers’ pay hostage” and warning travelers to “thank Donald Trump” for delays.
She noted that Democrats had repeatedly voted to fund the agency while many Republicans opposed it.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) criticized Trump’s deployment of ICE agents to TSA checkpoints, calling them a “lawless, under-trained, personal police force.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said ICE agents were “trained and ready” to assist, blaming Democratic lawmakers for long airport lines.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo Courtesy: Al Teich on Shutterstock.com
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