U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to "immediately pay" TSA agents that have gone weeks without receiving a paycheck due to the ongoing partial government shutdown.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, President Trump blamed Democrats for the shutdown and said he is signing an order for TSA agents to be paid.
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"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," Trump said. "I will not allow the Radical Left Democrats to hold our Country hostage any longer."
The partial government shutdown has stretched past six weeks as Democrats push for reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement before agreeing to fund the Department of Homeland Security. The agency oversees ICE, TSA and several other federal operations.
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The standoff has led to long security lines at airports across the country. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned that things are “going to get much worse” if Congress does not fund the agency.
DHS said the call-out rate on Wednesday was 11% as workers struggle to afford expenses such as child care and gas to get to and from work while they continue to go unpaid.
