- President Donald Trump says he plans to sign an order to pay TSA workers amid a DHS shutdown deadlock.
- TSA agents face another missed paycheck, causing travel chaos and extended wait times at airports.
- It is unclear whether Trump has the power to allocate the budget without congressional approval.
President Donald Trump said that he will sign an order "instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents."
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social on Thursday.
"Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis, I am using my authorities under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always will do!" Trump wrote.
It's unclear whether Trump has the power to allocate funds immediately without congressional approval, as the Senate has failed to reach a deal on how to fund DHS. A partial government shutdown began on February 14 due to a stalemate over immigration enforcement, mainly affecting DHS agencies.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that several Senate Republicans had pressed the White House to consider declaring a national emergency to pay TSA workers.
Trump's comments come as travel chaos intensifies across major national travel hubs. TSA workers are set to miss another paycheck by Friday morning and have begun to call out sick en masse, creating a severe staffing shortage, which is leading to many hours in wait time at TSA checkpoints.
Delta Air Lines suspended travel perks for Congress members and their staff that usually speed up their security checks, citing the government shutdown.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
