Trump bypassed Congress on Friday and ordered the DHS to pay TSA officers immediately
Trump bypassed Congress on Friday and ordered the DHS to pay TSA officers immediately
Airport bottlenecks ease as TSA workers get paid, but shutdown continues
The Transportation Safety Administration says most of its officers received most of their backpay Monday for working during the shutdown.
The move came after Trump rejected bipartisan congressional efforts to fund the TSA while negotiations continue with Democrats, who have refused to approve more funding without restraints on Trump’s immigration enforcement and mass deportation operations. The order left other DHS employees unpaid.
Democrats are demanding better identification for the officers, judicial warrants in some cases and for agents to refrain from conducting raids around schools, churches or other sensitive places. Republicans and the White House have been willing to negotiate on some points, but the sides have yet to reach a final agreement.
TSA workers told union leadership Monday that they received some — but not all — of their back pay, according to Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of the TSA union. He said the rest, from a partial paycheck at the start of the shutdown, is expected by next week.
The TSA chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees also raised concerns that some employees reported incorrect backpay amounts, including missing overtime and improper tax withholdings.