Sen. Duckworth: DHS could have been paying TSA agents all along using existing funds.

[bigtree]

Pablo Manríquez @PabloReports
🚨DUCKWORTH CONFIRMS:

DHS could have been paying TSA agents all along using existing funds.

Link to tweet

Senator Jeff Merkley @SenJeffMerkley
Trump says he will pay TSA workers.....

Yesterday I asked unanimous consent to fund TSA and pay all its workers for the entire budget year and Senate Republicans blocked it.

In fact, the Senate Republicans have blocked a bill to fund TSA ten times! Reportedly because Trump told them to do so.

So it's Trump screwing the TSA workers and then pretending to be their champion. Pretty sick.

8:40 PM · Mar 26, 2026

[Deuxcents]

1. Why? Why do this the hard working and underpaid people? What did it accomplish if there were already funds?

[Beartracks]

2. So they can keep up the pretense that Democrats are being unreasonable.

[markodochartaigh]

6. The chaos is the point.

Just like under previous Republican government shutdowns where TSA was not paid. The Republicans want to show that "government is not the answer, government is the problem". They want to move all services from the government to the private sector so our oiligarchs can siphon one third off the top for themselves. Some airports already have private companies doing the TSA's jobs. But private sector workers lack government benefits.


https://www.npr.org/2026/03/26/nx-s1-5759273/not-all-airports-use-tsa-agents-for-security-at-places-like-sfo-thats-helped-lines

[leftstreet]

11. +1

[Quiet Em]

8. The con artist doesn't care about the people he hurts

He is only backing down now because the optics are horrible and the public is holding him and the Republicans responsible.

[efhmc]

3. That would be the honorable thing to do but when was the last time that happened?

[JBTaurus83]

4. Privatization of TSA

Is a goal.

[Deuxcents]

5. All reasons I'll agree with but why did they have to make these people suffer to make their point?

Some were literally giving their blood, going to food banks, sleeping in their cars, notices of eviction, and who knows what other hardships. The Dems need to hammer this home with spot on messaging for midterms and we should never let this fiasco be forgotten. I hate this insanity

[JBTaurus83]

7. The Pig and his closest advisors

Seem to revel in the suffering of others. It seems there isn’t much reasoning behind a lot of what they do other than that.

[Tree Lady]

13. They thought they could force us to vote for their

Voting act because we actually care about those people and wouldn't want them to go through all you said.

They were wrong, instead people all over donated to the employees in different ways trying to help them so we wouldn't lose the vote for millions.

[Rebl2]

10. A private

contractor is in charge of TSA at the airport in our city and has been for many years. The agents are not paid by the federal government, therefore there were no long lines at the airport in Kansas City. I believe there are 20 plus cities in the US that use private contractors to supply TSA agents. Don’t ask what their pay is, because I don’t know.

[surrealAmerican]

9. I can only imagine how hardworking TSA agents, who haven't been paid in months ...

... would react to this disclosure.

[allegorical oracle]

12. Believe the TSA folks who quit during this chaos should be given a chance to

go back to their jobs. Many may not have found other jobs. Also think about those who've been doing that work for years and might resume working toward a pension. That could quickly alleviate the long airport lines, too. No training necessary.