Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., on Wednesday blamed Senate Democrats for the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown, saying the standoff is hurting travelers and Transportation Security Administration officers as airport staffing shortages worsen during the spring break rush.
Stutzman, appearing on Newsmax's "National Report," said Democrats are prolonging the fight to damage President Donald Trump politically, even as TSA officers continue working through the partial shutdown without full pay.
"It's just to embarrass the president any chance they get," Stutzman said. "Whether it's the DHS funding, of course, they're completely against the strikes in Iran, when before they were for it.
"This is Trump Derangement Syndrome at its finest. And they don't care if it affects the American people. This is about the midterm elections, it's about politics."
Stutzman, who represents Indiana's 3rd Congressional District and sits on the House Budget and House Financial Services committees, said the House "passed DHS funding" and pushed the Senate to quickly approve DHS funding.
"It's over in the Senate that the Senate Democrats and [Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer [D-N.Y.] have been blocking it with what they call a zombie filibuster," he said. "And that's where I believe that the Senate needs to just move past those rules and pass DHS funding for the safety and security of America."
His comments came as the shutdown entered its fourth week after Senate Democrats again blocked a Republican-backed DHS funding bill last week, leaving the department partially shuttered since Feb. 14.
The Senate vote was 51-45, short of the 60 votes needed to advance the measure, according to the Associated Press.
The funding lapse has rippled across DHS operations, with TSA officers and other essential personnel remaining on the job while missing paychecks, and airports in Houston, New Orleans, and elsewhere reporting long security lines tied to staffing shortages.
A food pantry at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas has also been helping federal airport workers, including TSA personnel, as the shutdown drags on.
Stutzman said the pressure on frontline workers is becoming unsustainable.
"The frustration is completely understandable," he said. "We need to do something before something dramatic happens and I hope that they can get that done this week, because these TSA agents aren't going to put up with it much longer."
Republicans have increasingly tied the shutdown fight to national security concerns following U.S. strikes on Iran, arguing DHS needs to be fully funded amid the risk of retaliation and ongoing border security concerns.
Stutzman echoed that argument and said Senate Republicans should consider bypassing the filibuster if necessary.
"If there's a way to move around the obstruction in the Senate, we have to do it for just using common sense and saying we're going to get this job done for the American people," he said.
"But at the same time, if there's a way to do it and moving around the filibuster rule in the Senate, Republicans should do that," the congressman added.
Democrats have said their opposition is tied to demands for changes in immigration enforcement and oversight of ICE and Customs and Border Protection, not an effort to shut down airport security.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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