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A bill to fund the U.S. Department of Homeland Security failed to advance in the Senate on Friday, as lawmakers pointed to growing concerns about long lines at airport security checkpoints. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would offer an alternative measure Saturday aimed at funding only the Transportation Security Administration, which is responsible for screening passengers and luggage for hazardous items.
Schumer’s proposal comes after Democrats declined to provide the support needed to move the broader Homeland Security funding measure toward final passage. The Senate also planned a rare weekend session, a schedule that Schumer and other lawmakers are using to try to break the impasse before longer delays take hold.
Behind the scenes, negotiations continued with White House officials, including border adviser Tom Homan, who met for a second consecutive day with a bipartisan group of senators. Democrats said they were seeking changes to immigration enforcement practices by federal agents in connection with the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis, but the senators left the meeting without commenting publicly.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the Republican chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the White House had added to its offer in hopes of resolving the standoff. Collins declined to outline what the added offer included, but she said she hoped the two sides would meet again Saturday.
On the Senate floor, Schumer said he agreed TSA needs to be reopened as quickly as possible, but he rejected funding the entire Homeland Security department under the terms Republicans are offering. Democrats are seeking to fund TSA while continuing negotiations over Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arguing that the conditions attached to enforcement practices should change.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he expects “deal space” from discussions with the White House, but he questioned whether Democrats were serious about reaching agreement that would provide more money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Thune also said the ongoing dispute had tangible consequences, noting that people were standing in lines at airports and that the issues need to be resolved.
The funding lapse has affected pay for some agencies and employees even as TSA work continues, according to the report. The vast majority of TSA employees are considered essential and continue working without pay during the lapse, and call-out rates have begun to increase at some airports, contributing to longer screening times for many passengers.
Democrats have demanded several policy changes as part of the broader funding effort. They include requiring ICE agents to obtain a warrant from a judge before forcefully entering homes, requiring agents to wear identifying information on their uniforms, and banning the use of masks, the report said.
The Trump administration said it has already agreed to several changes, including expanded use of body-worn cameras with an exception for undercover operations, and limited civil enforcement activities at certain sensitive locations such as hospitals, schools and places of worship. Republicans also pointed to actions they said demonstrate the administration’s intent to make changes in ICE operations, including firing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and putting Homan in charge of operations in Minneapolis.
Congress is scheduled to be on an extended break near the end of the month for a two-week Easter recess, and Thune said he could keep senators in Washington if the impasse is not resolved.