President Donald Trump said he’ll sign an executive order telling new Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin to restart pay for Transportation Security Administration officers amid the ongoing partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown in a post shared on his Truth Social account Thursday (March 26).
TSA agents have gone more than a month without a full paycheck, which has resulted in a record number of call outs and wait times at major U.S. airports. Trump didn’t specify what legal authority he intended to use and blamed the Democrats for the partial shutdown.
“The Radical Left Democrats, and their ‘Leader,’ Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, have made it very clear where they stand, and that is, ON THE SIDE OF CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS, AND NOT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE,” Trump wrote. “They are refusing to fund Immigration Enforcement unless the Republicans agree to their Open Border Policies, which will never, ever happen again. They almost destroyed our Country, allowing 25 Million People to enter from Prisons, Mental Institutions, and Insane Asylums, those that are Drug Dealers, and thousands of Murderers, many of whom killed more than one person. 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! Therefore, 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! I want to thank our hardworking TSA Agents and also, ICE, for the incredible help they have given us at the Airports. I will not allow the Radical Left Democrats to hold our Country hostage any longer.”
More than 3,250 officials, accounting for 11.51% of the scheduled national workforce, called out on Saturday as massive security lines grew across the country. Trump sent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to 13 U.S. airports to assist TSA agents on Monday (March 23).
Airports nationwide have seen long security lines in recent days after TSA officers have quit their jobs or called out sick as they’re forced to continue working without pay. ICE has faced widespread criticism amid the killings of two American protesters — Reneé Good and Alex Pretti — weeks apart earlier this year and several migrants dying while detained at facilities, with Mullin replacing Kristi Noem as secretary of homeland security.
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