Reed Blasts Senate GOP for Denying Paychecks for TSA Agents & Backs Bills to Immediately Fund TSA

WASHINGTON, DC –Senate Republicans have repeatedly blocked legislation offered by Senate Democrats to pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers while Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding negotiations continue in order to enforce needed, common-sense guardrails and reforms to rein in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a leading member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has joined fellow Senate Democrats five times to call for unanimous consent to immediately and fully fund TSA and is now backing proposals introduced by U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), to issue paychecks for TSA workers and fully fund TSA through the end of the current fiscal year.
“Republicans hold the White House, House, and Senate and orchestrated the current lapse in funding for DHS. Their political dysfunction is negatively impacting air travel, forcing long lines at airport security, and hurting our hardworking TSA agents. Democrats have tried time and time again to immediately give TSA workers their paychecks and will continue to do so until Republicans drop their political games,” said Reed.
In addition to Senators Rosen and Reed, the Transportation Security Administration Pay Act of 2026 (S.4073) and an identical TSA funding bill (S.4127) are supported by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA); Raphael Warnock (D-GA); Ben Ray Luján (D-NM); and Alex Padilla (D-CA).
Since March 5, Republicans in the Senate have blocked funding bills for TSA, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Coast Guard, and other important DHS functions on eight separate occasions. As recently as today, Senate Republicans blocked Democrats’ call for unanimous consent that would have given paychecks to TSA workers immediately.
“TSA agents would be paid today if Republicans stopped blocking our proposals. Further, we could immediately fund the rest of DHS if Senate Republicans and the White House would agree to basic reforms to prevent ICE and CBP from trampling the rights of Americans,” Reed concluded.