President Trump claims that employees at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will start getting paid, despite there being no end in sight for the partial government shutdown. That could spell the end of chaos at airports… maybe?
Trump claims he found a way to pay TSA employees
Over the past several weeks, we’ve increasingly seen chaos at airports in the United States, given the partial government shutdown, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) not being funded.
We’re seeing a record number of TSA employees calling in sick, as they haven’t been paid for their last three paycheck periods, and many airports are seeing security wait times of several hours.
Generally speaking, the way to end shutdowns is for us to see a compromise in Congress, but there’s no sign of that happening. However, Trump has just taken to social media to say that he’s signing an order to instruct Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin to pay TSA agents, to address the “emergency situation” at airports. Here’s what he wrote:
The Radical Left Democrats, and their “Leader,” Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, have made it very clear where they stand, and that is, ON THE SIDE OF CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS, AND NOT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. They are refusing to fund Immigration Enforcement unless the Republicans agree to their Open Border Policies, which will never, ever happen again. They almost destroyed our Country, allowing 25 Million People to enter from Prisons, Mental Institutions, and Insane Asylums, those that are Drug Dealers, and thousands of Murderers, many of whom killed more than one person. Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis, I am using my authorities under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always will do! Therefore, I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports. It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it! I want to thank our hardworking TSA Agents and also, ICE, for the incredible help they have given us at the Airports. I will not allow the Radical Left Democrats to hold our Country hostage any longer. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
What authority is Trump using to pay TSA employees?
Political implications aside (an important detail, of course), I think none of us really want airports to be a complete mess, so are happy if TSA agents are once again paid. For that matter, TSA agents deserve to get paid, as I feel horribly for the extent to which they’re being used as pawns.
The question is — under what authority is Trump actually doing this, and if he has the authority to do it, why hasn’t he done so already?
Trump is known for operating around the typical interpretation of the law, to put it politely. It would appear that Trump is invoking the National Emergency Act to pay the TSA, which allows his administration to use unspent government funds to pay TSA employees temporarily.
Now, I’m no lawyer or political expert. The argument essentially seems to be that airport security is being compromised by the lack of screeners, and that’s why this is being addressed in this way. I have to imagine that this will be challenged in court.
I also suspect that if anything, this will cause the partial government shutdown to drag on even longer, since problems at airports are ultimately what often cause shutdowns to end. I was planning on not taking any more flights in the US until the partial shutdown ended, unless absolutely necessary.
So while I’m happy if airports go back to normal and hardworking TSA agents get paid, I also understand the political importance (on both sides) of shutdowns.
Bottom line
President Trump claims that TSA officers will once again get paid, as he’s invoking the National Emergency Act to use unspent government funds to pay them. We’ll see how quickly this all happens. TSA officers deserve to be paid, though of course this also sort of goes against the whole point of government shutdowns, which is to compromise on things, since this is something that’s supposed to be within Congress’ purview.
What do you make of this update about TSA employees getting paid?
