March 12 (UPI) -- Transportation Security Administration employees will miss their first paycheck Saturday because of the partial government shutdown while senators try to find a way forward.
The Department of Homeland Security shutdown began Feb. 14 after Congress approved funding for all other departments, but Democrats refused to fund Homeland Security without guardrails on immigration enforcement and then-secretary Kristi Noem. Republicans and President Donald Trump are refusing to take that step.
On Wednesday, the Senate debated options to get funding for the department, but no bill was passed.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., offered an option of funding all other agencies within the DHS except Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. That would give more time to debate those two agencies while allowing funding for TSA, Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
"As for the rest of DHS that does important work to keep Americans safe like FEMA, Coast Guard, TSA, Democrats are here, we are trying to fund those agencies -- while ICE and Border Patrol negotiations continue," CNBC reported Murray said.
