Thune Issues Last and Final Offer to Democrats as TSA Lines Lengthen

Melissa Gates was still not through the security checkpoint at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport after two and a half hours in line Tuesday, watching the clock on her flight to Baton Rouge tick down. She said she would not make the flight, and no other seats were available until Friday. "I should have just driven, right?" Gates said of her 260-mile trip.

Her frustration landed in the middle of a Capitol Hill confrontation that showed no sign of resolution Thursday. Senate Majority Leader John Thune declared Republicans had made what he called their "last and final" offer to Democrats. "The Dems are now in possession of what I think is our last and final. So let's hope this gets it done," he said. Thune opened with a blunt two-word summary: "Enough is enough."

At stake is a 41-day standoff over DHS funding that has withheld pay for thousands of TSA agents and other DHS workers, causing major travel delays and scores of missed flights nationwide. The TSA is experiencing the longest wait times in its 24-year history, with wait times at some major airports exceeding four hours and employees calling out of work at rates of 40 to 50 percent, acting TSA Deputy Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday.

McNeill said the TSA has already lost more than 480 transportation security officers during the shutdown, while callout rates have accelerated; at some airports, 40 to 50 percent of the workforce is calling out on certain days. That has led to "the highest wait times in TSA history, with some wait times greater than four and a half hours," McNeill testified. "We are being forced to consolidate lanes and may have to close smaller airports if we do not have enough officers." DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis framed the toll plainly: "The partial shutdown has caused more than 400 TSA officers to quit and thousands to call out from work because they can't afford basic expenses like gas and child care."

If the partial shutdown continues into Friday, TSA will have missed almost $1 billion in paychecks since it began, McNeill said. There has also been a 500 percent increase in assaults against TSA officers since the shutdown began. For those still showing up, the circumstances inside the checkpoint are grim: McNeill called on Congress to fund DHS and "ensure this never happens again."

The GOP deal, if approved, would fund agencies such as TSA and the Coast Guard but leave out funding for ICE enforcement and removal operations; those more controversial ICE funds could then be handled in a future reconciliation package, a procedural tool that would allow Republicans to avoid a filibuster and approve the funds through a party-line vote. Another source said the offer included at least some provisions to rein in ICE, such as body-worn cameras. At least some Democrats were feeling positive about the latest GOP counteroffer but were still seeking clarification on language, including how to ensure money for Customs and Border Protection and other parts of DHS cannot be used for enforcement operations.

Thune declined to say what is in the new offer as the GOP awaited the Democrats' response. "It's just important that we try and close this down and get it done today," he said. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer kept the goalposts firmly in place. "We've been talking about ICE reforms from day one," he said. Democratic Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey was more direct: "We're talking through it right now but it's not where we want it to be," Kim said off the Senate floor.

Conservative Republicans panned the GOP proposals as well, demanding full funding for immigration operations and expressing skepticism at the promise from leaders that they would address Trump's proof-of-citizenship voting bill in a subsequent legislative package. Trump spent Thursday morning on social media suggesting Senate Republicans should eliminate the filibuster to fund DHS without Democrats. "When is 'enough, enough' for our Republican Senators," Trump posted. Thune confirmed Trump called him Thursday morning to deliver the same message but did not characterize his response and has repeatedly said there is not enough support among Senate Republicans to scrap the filibuster.

Trump, who has largely left the issue to Congress to resolve, also threatened to send the National Guard to airports, in addition to his deployment of ICE agents who are now checking travelers' IDs, a development drawing concerns. DHS deployed ICE agents to 14 airports seeing significant impacts, a move condemned by some Senate Democrats.

The pressure to act peaked Thursday as the end of the week marks the beginning of a scheduled two-week congressional recess for the Easter and Passover holidays. Thune said the Senate will keep to that schedule if lawmakers pass a DHS funding bill, but will stay in Washington if they don't. A procedural vote remained open on the floor as an indication that talks were continuing behind closed doors. Thune expressed openness to some final changes, saying that "if there's something that they think needs to be tweaked, one way or the other, as long as that's a final thing, then we'll see if it can get done."

McNeill noted that it takes four to six months to train a TSA officer to work checkpoints, meaning new hires would not be available for work when FIFA World Cup matches begin across the country in June; TSA is anticipating between 6 million and 10 million additional passengers for the tournament. With spring break travel already surging through understaffed terminals, the calendar is not waiting for a deal.