Trump says he’ll sign emergency order to pay TSA agents as Congress struggles to reach deal
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will sign an emergency order to pay Transportation Security Administration agents as Congress struggles to reach a funding deal.
Earlier in the day, the White House floated the idea of invoking a national emergency to pay TSA workers while senators reviewed a “last and final” offer to end the funding impasse that has jammed airports and disrupted travel.
Democrats have been refusing to fund the Department of Homeland Security as they demand changes to rein in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement operations. Trump, during an event at the White House, warned he would step in if Congress failed to act.
The Senate came to a standstill and senators, ready to leave town for their own spring break, prepared to stay all night to reach a deal.
“Enough is enough,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., as he announced he had given the final offer to the Democrats.
Thune did not disclose details of the new framework, but he said that it picked up on what had been the Republican offer over the weekend, before talks with the White House and Democrats had broken off.
“Hopefully … there will be some finality in this real soon,” Thune said.
The shutdown of funding for DHS, now in its 41st day, has resulted in travel disruptions, missed paychecks and even warnings of airport closures. TSA workers are coming up on their second missed paycheck on Friday, with thousands refusing to show up for work.
Multiple airports are experiencing greater than 40% callout rates of TSA workers and nearly 500 of its nearly 50,000 transportation security officers have now quit during the shutdown. Nationwide on Wednesday, more than 11% of the TSA employees on the schedule missed work, according to DHS. That is more than 3,120 callouts.
Trump, who has largely left the issue to Congress to resolve, threatened to send the National Guard to airports, in addition to his deployment of ICE agents who are now checking travelers’ IDs — a development drawing concerns.
The White House is considering a menu of options, including paying the TSA workers, a move that would be politically fraught and almost certain to face legal challenges.
“They need to end this shutdown immediately or we’ll have to take drastic measures,” Trump said Thursday during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
For more U.S. news, click here.
