BREAKING NEWS: Thune And Schumer Spar Over Schumer Motion To Fund TSA

Mr. President, I have a motion today that asks every senator a very simple question. Do you want TSA workers to get their pay? Yes or no? Are you tired, like many Americans are, of seeing long lines at the airport? Yes or no? If senators want to pay TSA workers and end the airport chaos, they should support my motion. Our TSA workers cannot be taken hostage for political games. But that is what Republicans have done. It is unacceptable, unacceptable to say we will only pay TSA workers if it is attached to a bill that funds ICE with no reforms. But that's what Republicans have done. Democrats want to pay TSA workers ASAP, no strings attached. A yes vote on my motion would start doing just that. This is the only vote, only vote, not the others, that will fund the T- that the Senate has taken that will fund TSA no ands, ifs, or buts. This is the first time, the first time the Senate holds a vote related to paying TSA workers that has zero strings attached to it. This is the vote, the only vote that says you're for supporting TSA families unconditionally. All the votes Republicans have pushed so far tie TSA paychecks to fully funding ICE without any reforms. Republicans say sure, we'll pay TSA, but only if you keep funding ICE agents without any guardrails whatsoever. That's not acceptable to the American people. So today, my motion makes the matter very simple. Let's pay TSA workers ASAP. That's it, nothing else. We can keep negotiating ICE and CBP separately. We're having some productive conversations on getting reforms to ICE, and Democrats are going to continue pushing for real serious reforms through legislation. But that's an ongoing process that should not get in the way of funding our TSA workers. So let's keep negotiating the outstanding issues with ICE while sending paychecks to TSA workers now. Let us end the long lines at the airports now. This is the logical, expedient, and correct thing to do. I yield the floor. Mr. President, I recognize the Republican leader. Mr. President, this motion, and when I hear the phrases used like no strings attached, or how simple this is, there isn't anything that can be more complicated than this. This is a Schumer motion to suspend the rules, to refer the House message, the bill that we're on, to the Rules Committee, which doesn't have jurisdiction over appropriations or spending, and he's trying to call it a vote to fund TSA? I mean, we've had, we have had countless votes to fund TSA. We had one yesterday. We've had countless motions by our side to pass a continuing resolution that would fund all of DHS, including TSA, and consistently been blocked by this side. So Mr. President, this is a, this is a convoluted, I mean, I don't know how you come up with this, I'll give you credit for coming up with something that's this convoluted, but it doesn't do anything that the leader says it does. It has nothing at all to do with funding TSA. The opportunity to fund TSA has come and gone multiple times here, when we have had votes here on the floor, including as recently as yesterday, and countless motions, continuing resolutions to fund all of DHS, including TSA, numerous times, over and over and over again, and our colleagues on the other side have blocked it. Will my colleague yield for a question? This is the only vote available to us because you have filled the tree and not put aloud an amendment like this here. Would the senator be willing to put this amendment to pay TSA immediately on the tree? Mr. President, this is, this is not an appropriations bill. The legislation we are on right now, which has to do with whether or not citizens, and only citizens, ought to be able to vote in American elections, has nothing to do with funding the government. We have had countless votes and countless appropriations bills brought in front of this institution, the United States Senate, that actually would fund TSA. If we want to fund TSA, let's get to work doing it. And if that group that's meeting can't come up with a solution here pretty quickly, things are going to get worse and worse and worse, and they already are. People at airports, anybody who's gone through an airport lately, they don't see what's happening here as serene. They see this as a convoluted mess, and that's what's happening across the country if we don't fund, if we don't fund the government, DHS, including TSA. We're all for it. We've tried repeatedly to do it. This has nothing to do with funding TSA. This is a ploy. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Is the tree full, Mr. Leader? I would say to my, my colleague from New York, has on it right now a vote that we just completed, and there will be other opportunities to vote on other amendments related to the legislation that we're on here today. But if we want to have, if you want to have a debate on appropriations, we can have that. We've made ourselves available. The White House is available. There are meetings going on right now, which I hope ultimately lead to a result where we get these agencies opened up again, including TSA. But in order for that to happen, you have to have a willing partner and somebody who's willing to sit down at the table and negotiate with you, which we haven't had until two days ago. Now, hopefully these discussions will lead what will ultimately be a result that will fund all of these agencies, including TSA. But that is not what this is about. And you know that. Mr. President, we are having discussions. I recognize the Democrat leader. Thank you, Mr. President. We are having productive discussions. I just met with our team 20 minutes ago. We're making some progress. There's more to be made. Each side has its own views. But why hold pay for TSA workers up until when we can do it immediately? Why wait? We don't know how long these negotiations will take. There are some pretty tough positions. We could do it now. I yield. All right, Mr. President. I recognize the majority leader. I would say, yeah, you talk about doing something quickly. Referring it to the Rules Committee, which has no jurisdiction over spending over appropriations on a bill that has nothing to do with funding these agencies. But we're happy. We are happy. We'll pivot immediately to fund all these agencies when you are ready to do it. I would ask for the yays and nays on this. The clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. Cloture motion.