The head of the nation's largest federal workers union is urging Congress to resolve the standoff over Homeland Security funding before breaking for Easter, as Transportation Security Administration officers continue working without pay.
The Hill reported that Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, suggested lawmakers should not leave Washington for the Easter recess while federal workers remain unpaid.
"Don't even think about going home for Easter recess while tens of thousands of American families are going without paychecks," Kelley said during a virtual press conference.
"Do not get on a plane that a TSA officer screened for free and fly home for Easter dinner and tell these people that you're working on it," he added.
The dispute centers on funding for the Department of Homeland Security, where a Republican-backed proposal would fund most of the agency while managing immigration enforcement operations through a separate budget process.
Democrats rejected that approach and are pushing for changes tied to immigration enforcement, leaving the funding package stalled.
Kelley said his union would support a deal to restore pay, but only if lawmakers move quickly and finalize the language.
"If there's a real deal on the table with real legitimate text, legislative text, then let's get paychecks into the members' hands," he said. "We want to see it move. Not tomorrow, not Friday, but today."
He expressed frustration with repeated signs of progress that have not resulted in action.
"Our members cannot eat optimism. They cannot pay rent with progress. They need a paycheck," Kelley said.
The funding impasse has put pressure on lawmakers ahead of the scheduled recess, with calls for Congress to work until an agreement is reached.
Kelley also criticized the use of immigration officers to assist at airports during the staffing shortage.
"This is what happens when the system is strained, and staffing is stretched too thin," he said. "But instead of solving the problem of paying TSOs, the administration sent ICE agents to airports as replacement workers."
"That's like giving a person dying of pneumonia a teaspoon of cough syrup," Kelley added. "It doesn't address the problem, and it's not going to work."
President Donald Trump has consistently blamed congressional Democrats for blocking funding for immigration enforcement. He posted early Tuesday that, "Democrats are desperate to keep illegals, no matter how bad or dangerous they [may] be, in the Country. They want them to VOTE! That's why they are fighting so hard to neutralize ICE. We will fight them all the way, and WIN!"
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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