Senate Republicans are urging the White House to consider emergency executive action to keep airport security workers paid if the impasse over Department of Homeland Security funding drags on, as lawmakers search for a way to blunt the travel disruptions hitting airports during a busy spring break period.
The discussions center on whether the administration could tap other available funds under emergency authorities if Congress remains deadlocked over DHS, which includes the Transportation Security Administration, though White House officials say no plan has been put in motion.
At a Cabinet meeting Thursday, President Donald Trump signaled the administration could intervene if the stalemate persists, saying, "They need to end the shutdown immediately, or we'll have to take some very drastic measures," without explaining what steps he might take, people familiar with the meeting told The Wall Street Journal.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that the administration is reviewing options but has not begun executing any of them.
"It is true the White House is having discussions about a number of ideas to blunt the impact of the Democrat shutdown crisis, but no preparations or plans are currently underway," Leavitt said, adding, "The best and easiest way to pay TSA Agents is to fund DHS."
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Republicans had made what he called a final proposal to Democrats after trying to meet their demands on policy language, telling reporters, "The Dems are now in possession of what I think is our last and final," and separately saying, "There are some language requests that they made that we did everything we could do to accommodate."
The shutdown began in mid-February and has stretched into its second month after Senate Democrats repeatedly blocked Republican-backed DHS funding bills while pressing for limits on ICE and Customs and Border Protection operations, with both sides accusing the other of holding up pay for TSA officers, FEMA personnel and other DHS employees.
The political pressure has intensified as airport lines lengthen and TSA staffing erodes, with The Associated Press reporting Tuesday that travel disruptions were deepening and the TSA warning in congressional testimony last month that more than 1,110 transportation security officers left the agency in October and November 2025 after the last shutdown, while another shutdown would hinder spring surge staffing for March, April and May.
Fresh TSA data underscores the stakes, showing the agency screened more than 2.85 million travelers on March 13 and more than 2.76 million on March 15, part of the heavy spring travel flow ahead of Easter and Passover.
Any attempt to redirect money without a clear appropriation would almost certainly face immediate legal scrutiny because the Antideficiency Act bars agencies from obligating or spending money in advance of or beyond an appropriation, except in narrow circumstances, and the Constitution gives Congress control over federal spending.
That legal uncertainty has left the emergency option as a pressure tactic and backup plan, even as senators continue trying to strike a deal before the funding fight causes broader breakdowns at checkpoints across the country.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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