US House Republicans Reject Senate Bill to Fund Airport Workers Amid Shutdown

House Republicans have shot down a bill passed by the Senate that would have resumed funding for federal agencies tasked with airport screenings, exacerbating a standoff that has resulted in chaos at airports as workers go without pay.

In the early hours of Friday morning, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that would finance most agencies under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the US Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

However, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed he would not bring the Senate-passed bill to the floor for a vote, slamming it as a “joke”. Johnson suggested that the House could advance its own bill fully funding all DHS agencies for two months.

President Donald Trump signed an executive memo directing DHS to work with the White House budget director to find a way to pay TSA employees, who have gone without pay since the partial government shutdown began in mid-February.

“America’s air travel system has reached its breaking point. This is an unprecedented emergency situation,” Trump wrote in the memo, blaming the impasse on Democrats.

Democratic lawmakers have slammed Republicans for rejecting bills that would ensure that TSA employees are paid while continuing to withhold additional funds from immigration enforcement.