Leader Schumer Floor Remarks Urging His Republican Colleagues To Stop Stonewalling TSA Funding

Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke on the Senate floor urging his Republican colleagues to allow a Democratic bill to be passed by unanimous consent to fund TSA, ensuring that workers are paid and lines at airports are greatly reduced. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks:

In a moment, my good friend, my colleague from Georgia, will offer a resolution that is very simple. It says fund TSA, period—no ands, ifs, or buts. No excuses, no secondary reasons. If senators want to fund TSA, they should simply support the resolution of Senator Warnock.

Who is blocking TSA money from being approved? Republicans.

On several occasions, Democrats have gone to the floor and said, “let's just fund TSA.” We know that there are discussions about ICE and Border Patrol that we haven't resolved, but why hold TSA hostage? Why hold passengers at our airports who are waiting on long lines hostage?

All the Republicans have to do is say yes, and those lines will be greatly reduced or go away. The waiting will be greatly reduced, and people will be much happier. So, to hold our airport travelers and our TSA workers hostage is the wrong thing to do, and the American people don’t like it. The American people should know, if Republicans get up and block the Warnock resolution, it is Republicans blocking funding for TSA, creating those long lines, and standing in the way of funding our hardworking TSA workers.

Democrats are giving Republicans another chance. We can fund TSA workers today. We can make sure our airports are secure today. We can make sure the workers are paid today. Republicans just need to get out of the way and stop blocking TSA officers' paychecks.

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