Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) has accused Republicans of blocking funding to pay the salaries of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers, using it as leverage to pass the SAVE Act.
Holding TSA Workers Hostage
In a video shared on the social media platform X on Wednesday, Warren criticized President Donald Trump amid an ongoing partial government shutdown. “Congressional Republicans are holding TSA workers’ pay hostage,” she said in the caption of the video, adding that leaders from the Republican Party were doing so to pass the SAVE Act.
“Democrats are ready and willing to fund these airport agents right now,” she said, adding that Democratic lawmakers had “voted yes” multiple times to fund the agency, while over 49 Republicans “voted no” to fund TSA. “For Republicans, chaos is the point,” she said. “Trump is telling the Republicans to hold TSA hostage with no pay until Congress helps him rig the midterm elections,” she added in the video.
“So when you’re stuck in line during Spring Break, you can thank Donald Trump,”
Democrats, GOP Stalemate On TSA Funding
Democratic leaders have criticized their GOP counterparts, with Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) taking to the social media platform X on Wednesday to share that leaders continue to remain in a deadlock, while also slamming GOP lawmakers for blocking funding for the TSA. “Republicans have been given ELEVEN chances to send TSA agents their paychecks, but they refuse,” she said in the post.
While a report from The New York Times on Wednesday shared that both Republicans and Democrats rejected offers from each other to break the stalemate and end the shutdown. GOP lawmakers offered a blanket removal of ICE funding from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending bill.
The proposal was rejected by Democrats, stating that any funding for ICE would also need the agency’s tactics to meaningfully change. Meanwhile, Republicans then rejected an offer by the Democrats that would enforce the tactics change.
Mike Johnson, Zohran Mamdani Weigh In
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), on the other hand, criticized Democrats on Tuesday for blocking TSA funding and forcing “Americans to wait in lines at airports across the country,” and letting “illegal aliens” enter the U.S. “Republicans will keep fighting to end this senseless chaos and protect the American people,” he said.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani also criticized the White House’s move to deploy ICE agents at TSA checkpoints across airports. “ICE doesn’t belong at our airports,” Mamdani said in a post on X on Tuesday. He also shared contact information for legal resources and updated guidance from his administration.
What Is The SAVE Act?
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act is a piece of legislation touted by the Republicans, which would require voters to prove they are American citizens to register and vote during elections. It also mandates that voters need to present a government-issued photo ID to cast their ballot.
Critics of the legislation maintain that the move has been brought in to restrict voting access and benefit Republicans rather than secure elections.
TSA Chaos Brings Challenges
Meanwhile, as the shutdown enters day 41, long lines at airports continue to wreak havoc in the aviation sector. United Airlines Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) CEO Scott Kirby recently urged lawmakers on both ends of the political spectrum to reach an agreement and bring an end to the shutdown.
Elsewhere, Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk‘s offer to cover the salaries of TSA employees amid the ongoing shutdown was formally rejected by the Trump administration, citing legal challenges to such a move.
Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.
Photo courtesy: OogImages/Shutterstock
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