Donald Trump said on Thursday that he plans to sign an emergency order to pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers who have not received their salaries during the ongoing funding gap at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
A day after the White House rejected Elon Musk’s offer to pay salaries for the staff, posting on Truth Social, Trump said he would direct newly sworn-in Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to “immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation.”
In a long post on Truth Social, Trump criticised Democrats, blaming them for the current situation at the Department of Homeland Security. “Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis, I am using my authorities under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always will do!” he wrote.
Missed TSA paychecks hit airports hard
TSA officers missed their first full paychecks in mid-March, and the impact was felt on a large scale. Many workers began calling out of work, pushing callout rates to more than 11% nationwide. At some airports, that number crossed 40%.
With fewer officers on duty, security lines grew longer. In some cases, travellers had to wait more than four hours just to get through screening. To manage the situation, the administration earlier sent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to help at airports. Unlike TSA staff, ICE agents have continued to receive pay during the partial shutdown, thanks to funding from the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” that Trump signed into law last year.
Trump said he will direct Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to act without delay. “I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports. It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it!” he wrote.
Will ICE officers leave the airports?
Even as the government looks at fixing the pay issue for TSA staff, it is still not clear if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers will be pulled out of airports right away. Earlier this week, on March 23, ICE agents were sent to some of the busiest airports in the US, including hubs like JFK, Atlanta, and O’Hare.
They have mostly been handling basic tasks like watching exit lanes and helping manage crowds. This allowed TSA officers to focus on more technical security checks.
Because many TSA workers had not been paid for weeks, a large number started calling out of work or even quitting. These sudden absences created staff shortages, which is what led to ICE being deployed in the first place. Now, if TSA staff start getting paid again, they will return to work, and things at airports will slowly get back to normal.
Even if staffing improves, ICE officers may not leave immediately. Trump has already said that ICE will stay at airports “for as long as it takes.” Officials have also hinted that their role could go beyond just helping with crowds.
There is talk of maintaining “Security like no one has ever seen before,” with a stronger focus on immigration checks inside airport terminals as well.
For passengers, there could be some relief soon, but not overnight. If the payment order works and TSA staff return in full strength, long security lines should start easing quickly.
Funding deadlock in the Senate
The issue goes back to a political standoff in the Senate, which has failed multiple times to move forward with a House-passed bill that would fund DHS for a full year. Democrats have opposed the bill, calling for changes to ICE after a surge of immigration officers in Minneapolis and the killings of two US citizens by federal officers there earlier this year.
Earlier in the day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said discussions were underway to improve conditions at airports, where TSA is now dealing with what it describes as the longest security wait times in history. “It is true that the White House is having discussions about a number of ideas to blunt the impact of the Democrat shutdown crisis, but no preparations or plans are currently underway. The best and easiest way to pay TSA Agents is to fund DHS,” Leavitt said.
At the same time, Senate Republicans discussed whether the administration could act on its own to pay TSA officers. When asked if Trump could declare a national emergency to make that happen, Susan Collins said, “Well, the president has the authority, so we’ll see what happens.”
No deal yet, time running out
Even after votes were cast on advancing the broader funding bill, the Senate kept voting open to allow room for negotiations as Trump made his announcement. But there were no clear signs of progress. Mike Rounds dismissed the idea that a deal was close, simply saying “no” when asked by reporters.
With lawmakers set to leave Friday for a two-week break, Senate Republican leader John Thune has said it remains uncertain whether he will keep senators in Washington if an agreement on DHS funding is not reached in time.