President Donald Trump says he will sign an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security to pay TSA workers. The details of Trump’s proposal are not yet clear, but Republicans have previously floated the idea of using the National Emergencies Act, which they believe would give the federal government more flexibility to use unspent TSA funds.
“Since Democrats have recklessly created a veritable National Crisis, I am using my powers under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always have!” Trump wrote as part of a long display on Thursday Truth Social.
“That’s why I intend to sign an Executive Order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay our TSA agents to resolve this emergency and immediately end the Democrat chaos at the airports,” the post continued.
“It’s not an easy job, but I’m going to do it! I want to thank our hardworking TSA agents and also ICE for their incredible help at the airports. I will not let the Radical Left Democrats hold our country hostage any longer,” Trump wrote.
“The Wall Street Journal” reported on this Thursday before Republicans on Capitol Hill have considered asking Trump to use the National Emergencies Act, though it’s hard to say whether the mechanism Trump plans to use in his executive order is precise.
The president often engages in very unorthodox (and sometimes downright illegal) behavior, and it can be difficult to decipher which lever to pull for any given move. Trump’s post referred to an executive order and a “State of Emergency,” but he has been known to randomly capitalize everything in his social media posts.
The TSA is facing a shortage of staff, with 11% of officers calling in sick on Wednesday, up to 40% at some of the worst-hit airports. Airport security lines have reached historical longitudesIt takes hours at Houston and New Orleans airports. At least 480 TSA employees have quit in the past month.
At the heart of the issue is funding for DHS, which Democrats in Congress have withheld because they oppose ICE and CBP being used to terrorize immigrant communities. Trump has deployed ICE agents to assist the TSA on a presidential order placed In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, as part of an effort to rehabilitate the “false image” given to them by Democrats.
The Wall Street Journal notes that Trump’s use of the National Emergency Act is likely to face legal challenges because federal spending must be approved by Congress. But it’s hard to imagine Democrats racing to the courthouse too soon. Democrats are the ones who have finally proposed legislation that would only fund the TSA, not ICE or CBP.
If Trump follows through and doesn’t try to provide additional funding to ICE as well, it looks like the Democrats got what they wanted. At least for now.
