On Saturday, Senate Republicans voted down a procedural motion by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) that aimed to fund the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) during the ongoing government shutdown. The motion, which sought to suspend the Senate rules and advance the bill through the Rules Committee, failed in a party-line vote of 41 to 49. It required 60 votes to succeed.
Schumer’s Motion and GOP Opposition
Schumer’s motion was an effort to push forward funding for TSA workers, who have been left unpaid during the 36-day shutdown. Schumer framed the vote as a simple decision on whether TSA agents should get paid, especially as the shutdown has caused significant disruptions at airports across the country.
However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) dismissed Schumer’s proposal as a “convoluted” attempt to bypass the Senate Appropriations Committee, which is working with the White House to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Thune argued that Schumer’s plan would not have done anything meaningful and would not have funded TSA in the way it was being presented.
GOP Counterarguments
Thune countered Schumer’s framing, pointing out that Democrats had repeatedly voted against funding the entire DHS, including TSA, in the past. He referred to several motions to pass a continuing resolution that would fund DHS in its entirety, including TSA, but said these were consistently blocked by Democrats.
“This is a Schumer motion to suspend the rules and refer the House message, the bill that we’re on, to the Rules Committee, which doesn’t have jurisdiction over appropriations or spending,” Thune said. “It doesn’t do anything that the [Democratic] leader says it does.”
Democratic Response
Senate Democrats, led by Schumer, criticized Republicans for blocking the motion, accusing them of obstructing efforts to pay TSA workers and end the chaos at airports. Democrats pointed out that Republicans were tying TSA funding to their demands for increased funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without agreeing to basic reforms.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, condemned the GOP’s stance, stating, “Today, Senate Republicans voted against paying TSA agents because they insist on tying TSA funding to their push to give even more money to ICE—without basic reforms.
That is not how this should work—and it is just plain wrong that Republicans are preventing TSA agents from getting paid while airport lines grow longer across the country.”
Blocked Proposals
The failed motion came after Republicans rejected other proposals by Senate Democrats to pay TSA workers while negotiations over immigration enforcement reform continue. Specifically, they blocked a bill by Sen.
Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) on March 19 and another by Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) on March 18, both of which aimed to pay TSA workers while addressing broader issues related to DHS funding and immigration reform.
