There Was a Deal to End the Shutdown. Trump Killed It.
The big picture: Senate Republicans brought Trump a deal to end the 37-day partial government shutdown and start paying 61,000 TSA workers. Democrats were willing to sign it. Trump rejected it, demanding Democrats first pass his SAVE America Act, a sweeping voter restriction bill that doesn’t have enough votes in his own caucus.
Why it matters: The airport crisis is compounding. TSA workers are approaching their second missed paycheck. Security lines stretch for hours. Jet fuel has doubled due to the Iran war. Two pilots just died at LaGuardia. And the president’s backup plan is sending untrained ICE agents to airports.
The deal that died: Senate Majority Leader John Thune proposed funding DHS without ICE, with ICE funding handled separately through reconciliation (no Democratic votes needed). Democrats were reportedly willing to agree. Trump rejected it and demanded Republicans keep fighting until Democrats pass the SAVE America Act and legislation addressing trans athletes and gender-affirming care for minors.
He then threatened his own party, posting: “Let Leader Thune clearly identify those few ‘Republicans’ that are Voting against AMERICA. They will never be elected again!”
The TSA crisis: About 61,000 TSA employees are working without pay. Hundreds have quit. Call-out rates are climbing. Aviation security expert Jeffrey Price told Axios: “We’re very close to reaching a breaking point,” warning that smaller airport closures are a real possibility.
The fuel spike: United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby: “Jet fuel prices have more than doubled in the last three weeks. Our plans assume oil goes to $175 a barrel and doesn’t get back down to $100 a barrel until the end of 2027.”
Oil prices dipped Monday after Trump announced a five-day pause on strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure, but remained elevated.
The ICE deployment: Trump announced ICE agents would be sent to airports to help with delays. Border czar Tom Homan acknowledged they were still working out what agents would do and which airports they’d go to. ICE agents are not trained as airport screeners.
Trump told reporters: “I want to thank ICE because they stepped in so strongly. They’ll do great. And if that’s not enough, we’ll bring in the National Guard.”
The LaGuardia crash: Two pilots were killed Sunday night after their aircraft collided with an emergency vehicle on the runway. Both had been cleared to use the runway by air traffic control. The investigation is ongoing, but it’s putting controller workload and staffing back in the spotlight.
By the numbers:
61,000 — TSA employees working without pay
37 — days into the partial shutdown
2 — missed paychecks approaching for TSA workers
2 — pilots killed at LaGuardia Sunday
100% — increase in jet fuel prices in three weeks
0 — ICE agents trained as airport screeners
The bottom line: A deal to end this existed. Both parties supported it. The president killed it to attach a voter restriction bill that can’t pass. Congress leaves for two-week recess after this week. Everything about this crisis, the shutdown, the fuel prices, the understaffed airports, traces back to decisions this administration made. And the people paying for it had no say in any of them.
Thanks for reading! Comment your thoughts & reactions | Share to spread the word | Follow to stay in the loop