“Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true national crisis, I am using my authorities under the law to protect our great country, as I always will!” Trump wrote as part of a longer article on Truth Social on Thursday.
The post continued, “Therefore, I am going to sign an order directing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markway Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA agents to respond to this emergency and immediately stop the Democrat chaos at the airports.”
“It’s not an easy thing to do, but I’m going to do it! I want to thank our hardworking TSA agents and ICE for the incredible help they provide at the airports. I will not let the Radical Left Democrats hold our country hostage any longer,” Trump wrote.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier Thursday that Republicans on Capitol Hill were thinking about asking Trump to use the National Emergencies Act, though it is difficult to tell whether Trump plans to use the exact mechanism in his order.
The President often engages in conduct beyond the norm (and sometimes downright illegal) and it can be difficult to understand which lever he will pull for any given action. Trump’s post mentioned an order and a “state of emergency,” but he is known for randomly capitalizing things in his social media posts.
The TSA is facing staffing shortages and 11% of officers called in sick on Wednesday, with callout rates reaching 40% at some of the worst-hit airports. Security lines at airports have reached historic lengths, stretching for hours at airports in Houston and New Orleans. At least 480 TSA employees have quit in the past month.
The crux of the issue is funding for DHS, which is being blocked by Democrats in Congress because they oppose the way ICE and CBP have been used to terrorize immigrant communities. Trump has deployed ICE agents to assist the TSA as part of an effort by the president to restore the “false image” given by Democrats in a Truth Social post on Wednesday.
The Wall Street Journal says Trump’s use of the National Emergencies Act will likely face court challenges because federal spending must be approved by Congress. But it’s hard to imagine that Democrats will rush to the court too quickly. After all, Democrats are the ones proposing legislation that would only fund TSA, not ICE or CBP.
If Trump follows through on this, and doesn’t even try to give additional funding to ICE, it would appear that the Democrats got what they wanted. at least for now.
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