House Republicans Reject Senate DHS Plan and Advance Own Bill as Airport Disruptions Drag On

Overview

• House leaders said they would not take up the Senate’s stopgap plan and instead passed a rival bill that includes funding for immigration and border units.
• The Senate approved a short-term measure Friday that finances TSA, the Coast Guard, FEMA and CISA but withholds new money for ICE and parts of Border Patrol.
• TSA officers have gone unpaid since mid-February, which has driven staff shortages, long security lines, and hundreds of resignations or absences at major airports.
• DHS said ICE agents are now assisting with screening at 14 airports, an unusual assignment that has drawn concerns over training and civil liberties after recent detentions.
• The White House ordered agencies to find funds to pay TSA workers, and President Trump said ICE officers at airports will not wear masks and that he could send the National Guard if needed.