Monday marks 45 days since the partial government shutdown
WASHINGTON (NBC, KYMA) - Monday marks 45 days since the partial government shutdown started as negotiations to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were dealt a major setback Friday after House Republicans rejected a Senate-passed bill.
The impasse comes as patience at america's airports is wearing thin.
On Monday, lingering delays at airports mirror the hold-up on Capitol Hill where lawmakers left town on Friday, without a deal to fund the DHS now on day 45, the longest partial government shutdown on record, despite the Senate unanimously passing funding for all of DHS, except ICE and Border Patrol.
"Throughout the day, I can see it getting longer and more stressful for people," said one traveller at the Philadelphia International Airport.
"Let's fund everybody else, and let's deal with this thorny issue about ICE. And then you had the Republican House say, 'Hell no. We're not doing that," said Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT.)
House Republicans chose not to vote on the Senate-passed bill. Instead, they passed a short-term measure that includes immigration enforcement, adamant that must be funded now.
"This is a dangerous time, and we need full Homeland Security," said Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY).
That House bill is a no-go in the Senate, but despite the impasse, TSA agents, who called out Friday in record numbers, may start receiving back pay as soon as Monday or Tuesday, through an order signed by President Donald Trump.
"We're gonna pay them for as long as we have to," President Trump remarked.
While the president's border czar, Tom Homan, suggested ICE agents may stay on to move airport security lines, even after TSA pay resumes.
"It depends how many TSA agents come back to work, how many TSA agents have actually quit and have no plan coming back to work," Homan shared.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told members he is working with Democrats to search for a solution, according to a source familiar with negotiations, though he emphasized ICE and Border Patrol remain the sticking point, without the reforms Democrats are demanding.
Majority Leader Thune is not planning to call members back until he has a deal he believes can pass all while a top TSA official told Congress last week it takes four to six months to train new security officers with about 500 quitting since the shutdown began, potentially prolonging the airport headaches.
