In 24 Hours, Senate Republicans Block Five Separate Bills to Fund TSA, FEMA, CISA, Coast Guard, & Other DHS Functions

Senate Republicans have now blocked Democratic attempts to fund critical parts of DHS six times in total

Washington, D.C. — Over the last 24 hours, Senate Republicans have blocked five separate bills offered by Senate Democrats to fund key components of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)—while negotiations continue on measures to rein in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

While Republicans drag their feet on common-sense steps to rein in ICE and Border Patrol and tee up another vote on failed legislation that would provide more funding for ICE and Border Patrol—without essential reforms—they have simultaneously blocked straightforward bills to ensure TSA agents get paid and fund our nation’s cyber defense agency.

“This isn’t complicated: if Republicans won’t agree to rein in ICE and Border Patrol, they should at minimum work with us to pay TSA agents and fund disaster relief. But they won’t,” said Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “Right now, Republicans are holding TSA agents’ paychecks hostage because they want to provide more money to ICE, without basic reforms to protect Americans’ rights and safety. Democrats will keep fighting to get TSA workers paid and fund FEMA and the Coast Guard, and we’ll keep pushing to enact common-sense steps to prevent more Americans from being hurt, or even killed, by masked federal agents.”

“Right now, we could be paying TSA agents, funding FEMA before the next disaster hits, protecting our cyber defenses, and making sure the Coast Guard gets paid. But Republicans said no,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). “Democrats have tried—six separate times—to pass simple bills to keep these critical parts of DHS running while negotiations continue. Six times Republicans came to the floor and blocked them. TSA officers shouldn’t miss paychecks, disaster relief shouldn’t be left hanging, and Americans’ safety shouldn’t be collateral damage in a political standoff Republicans created.”

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On Wednesday, Senate Republicans:

• Blocked a bill offered by Senator Murray to fund all of DHS except for ICE, CBP, and the DHS Secretary’s office while negotiations on ICE and Border Patrol continue.
  • Senator Murray sought unanimous consent to pass the bill:
    • “Democrats are not going to write a blank check for rogue agencies that are trampling on the rights of Americans. Nor are we going to accept the premise that the only way to fund TSA or disaster relief is by giving money to ICE. That’s absurd.”
  • But Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) blocked the bill.
    

Today, Senate Republicans:

• Blocked a bill offered by Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) to pay TSA workers while broader negotiations continue.
  • Senator Rosen sought unanimous consent to pass the legislation:
    • “Today, I asked my colleagues to take a simple step: pass my legislation, pay TSA workers, so that commercial air travel remains safe and functional, and our TSA agents receive the pay they have earned. If Republicans are going to insist on shutting down the Department of Homeland Security, they should at the very least join us in ensuring the traveling public does not pay the price.”
  • But Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH) blocked the bill.
    
    
• Blocked a bill offered by Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) to fund CISA while broader negotiations continue.
  • Senator Kim sought unanimous consent to pass the bill:
    • “What the American people know, and what every family has to deal with, is: you can think through what it is that you do agree on, try to move forward with that, and try to then further focus in on the issues where there are disagreement on. … When it comes to immigration, we know that the Republicans pushed forward on the funding to that through the reconciliation bill last year. So let’s make sure that the rest of the Department of Homeland Security, including this incredibly important aspect of CISA, is able to step up at this dangerous time. I hope Republicans can join us and make good on that obligation today by funding CISA. That’s why I’m asking my colleagues to pass this bill to fund our cybersecurity workers and ensure that we have the resources in place to counter these threats.”
  • But Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) blocked the bill.
    
    

• Blocked a bill offered by Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) to ensure members of the Coast Guard are paid while broader negotiations continue.
  • Senator Murphy sought unanimous consent to pass the bill:
    • “If Republicans stopped coming to the floor to object, we could open up TSA right now. We could get those salaries paid. I’m going to offer legislation to open up funding for the Coast Guard. We can get the people who protect our shorelines paid. And, yes, this is a mess. … We didn’t have shutdowns when Democrats were in charge of the Senate. We are at a logjam because Republicans refuse to listen to the very reasonable concerns that Democrats and the American people have about the way that ICE is behaving.”
  • But Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) blocked the bill.
    
    

• Blocked a bill offered by Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) to ensure all of FEMA is funded and the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) is replenished while broader negotiations continue.
  • Senators Padilla and Schiff sought unanimous consent to pass the bill:
    • Padilla: “Disaster can strike anywhere at any time. With the looming threat of large-scale fires across the West, we need an operational, fully funded FEMA, prepared to respond at the first sign of emergency and to support communities like Southern California that are still recovering from previous disasters. But inexcusably, Republicans and this administration continue to delay and play partisan games with federal disaster relief. We must continue our negotiations to make much-needed reforms to hold Donald Trump’s ICE and CBP accountable while providing funding to rebuild communities devastated by disasters and stay fully prepared for when the next one strikes.”
    • Schiff: “We reject the false choice that the Majority would give us — that we cannot reform ICE until we agreed to give ICE billions more. These cannot be the only two choices. Let’s pass this commonsense bill and reopen FEMA today. Let’s get disaster recovery efforts moving forward. We can do both. We can help Californians in need. And others across the country.”
  • But Senator James Lankford (R-OK) blocked the bill.
    
    

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Don’t forget: last week, Senate Republicans also blocked Senator Murray’s bill to fund all of DHS except ICE, CBP, and the DHS Secretary’s Office.

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