Tag Archives: Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

Sharing The Pain

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On March 19th, I posted an article about the Democrat plan for the partial government shutdown. The idea was to cause so much pain for the voters that they would put pressure on the Republicans to cave to the Democrats. In the process of doing this, they also exempted themselves from the pain. I am still  not convinced this was a wise move. Even if it was successful, they might win the battle and lose the war.  However, not everyone is willing to play along with their game.

On Tuesday, The New York Post reported:

Delta Air Lines is punishing Congress for failing to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

The airline company has temporarily yanked its special congressional desk service to lawmakers and staffers on Capitol Hill until Congress finally funds the DHS, which has been in a partial shutdown since Feb. 28.

“Due to the impact on resources from the longstanding government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend specialty services to members of Congress flying Delta,” the company said in a statement first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

…“Next to safety, Delta’s No. 1 priority is taking care of our people and customers, which has become increasingly difficult in the current environment.”

Delta’s perks to members of Congress included benefits such as airport escorts and red coat services. Its Capitol Desk reservation line is still open, but lawmakers will be “treated as any passenger based on their respective SkyMiles status” for the time being.

Last week, Delta CEO Ed Bastian delivered a fierce rebuke of Congress for allowing funding for DHS to lapse, which has resulted in Transportation Security Administration employees going without full pay for over a month.

Bastian called the situation “inexcusable” and railed against lawmakers for using TSA workers as “political chips.”

As everyone is aware, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employees have been sent to airports to help keep the waiting lines moving. That is helping with the lines, but it also gives people a chance to see ICE as a positive force helping people. 

Rules For Thee And For Me

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On Friday, The Daily Caller posted an article about a law passed in the Senate that would exempt lawmakers from special treatment at airport security lines–lawmakers would have to wait in line just like everyone else.

The article reports:

The Senate passed a bill to end lawmakers’ special privileges to bypass airport security lines late Thursday night while security personnel continue to manage hours-long lines while working without pay through a partial government shutdown.

The End Special Treatment for Congress at Airports Act was introduced by Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn and approved by unanimous consent because no senators were present on the floor to object to the legislation. The bill passed as the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) shutdown prepared to enter its 35th day — tied for the second-longest in American history — with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers struggling to manage a surge in spring break travelers.

…“Maybe, just maybe, if Congress has to live under the same laws that everybody else does, it will motivate us to get our work done. In other words to fund the [DHS],” Cornyn said on the Senate floor Thursday night. “So no American, no air traveler will have to suffer the disruption and tribulations that many, many travelers are having to experience now. It’s not too much to expect that Congress will be subject to the rules as everybody else.”

…The legislation now awaits passage in the House, and then would go to President Donald Trump’s desk for signature. The TSA is an agency of the DHS.

I hope this law is passed in the House and signed into law in as short a time as possible!

The article concludes:

Air travel worker unions, airlines have called on Congress to resolve differences and restore funding as stress mounts on workers, and TSA specifically called on Democrats to stop withholding their votes to end the shutdown.

“The shutdown is having very real consequences, and hardworking federal aviation workers, the airline industry and our passengers are being used as a political football once again. This is simply unacceptable and un-American,” Airlines for America president and CEO Chris Sununu, a former Republican governor of New Hampshire, said in a statement.

Cornyn is currently locked in an extremely expensive runoff primary contest against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that President Donald Trump and Cornyn’s Senate counterpart, Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, have chosen to stay out of. Trump said he will make an endorsement soon, and Paxton said he will drop out of the race if the Senate passes the SAVE America Act. Soon after, Cornyn advocated to eliminate the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold despite defending the protective measure in 2022.

No Democrat who continues to vote for this shutdown should be re-elected!

Walking His Own Path

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On Sunday, The Daily Signal posted an article about a recent statement by Senator John Fetterman. If someone had told me when Senator Fetterman was elected that he would be the only reasonable Democrat in the Senate, I would have thought they were crazy, but here we are.

The article reports:

Democrat Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman criticized his party Saturday over the ongoing partial government shutdown and its impacts on federal employees and operations.

Multiple agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), are being subjected to “emergency measures” due to the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to a release by DHS.

Fetterman said he spoke with TSA agents during his frequent travels about the effects of the shutdown.

“I am the only Democrat that has refused to vote in shutting down DHS, literally the only one,” Fetterman said during Saturday’s episode of “The Big Weekend Show.” “And now all agree that this would not have any impact on ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement]. They already have their funding, and it doesn’t push or force ICE to do any of those kinds of reforms that people think are necessary now, too.”

“Why would you want to punish all of these workers that are under DHS? The only thing that it can do is just make us less safe, and that also makes people have to go without getting paid,” Fetterman continued. “I’m at the airport virtually every week of the year, and I ask all those TSA agents, and I said, ‘Hey, do you like not to get paid for your work?’ I haven’t met one saying, ‘No, it’s no problem.’”

This shutdown makes no sense unless the Democrats believe that illegal votes combined with their extreme left wing are the only way they can win the midterms. Aside from the inconvenience to Americans who travel, there is a serious risk to shutting down the Department of Homeland Security during a war. I don’t believe the majority of Americans support this shutdown.

Unless the number of illegal voters in the midterm elections is enough to swing the election, the shutdown makes no sense.

Will This Impact The Midterm Elections?

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The government has been partially shut down for about a month now. The place that shutdown has been very obvious and very detrimental to traveling Americans is at airport security lines. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is currently working without pay as is the Department of Homeland Security which oversees the TSA. It’s not a good idea to have an unfunded Department of Homeland Security during a war with a country that has a reputation for terrorism.

On Sunday, Red State reported:

The partial Shutdown of the government has now been going on for almost a month as Democrats refuse to budge on their demands for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reforms. Although ICE is fully funded due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, other departments like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are not, leaving the nation at risk of attack and creating travel nightmares at the airports.

On Sunday, Airlines for America posted the following on X:

I realize the fine print is hard to read, but basically the letter representing the largest U.S. passenger and cargo carriers stresses the importance of paying federal aviation workers, including TSA officers, U.S. Customs clearance officers and air traffic controllers, during government shutdowns.

The article notes:

Although the Democrats are trying to paint the partial shutdown as a cause of Republican intransigence, the fault lies squarely at their feet. With their not ready for prime time demands, they’re acting like they won the House, the Senate, and the Oval Office in 2024 — but they lost all three.

As former President Barack Obama snottily told GOP lawmakers in 2009, soon after taking office, “elections have consequences.” Instead of remembering that maxim, the Dems are acting like children who didn’t get their way and took the ball home. It would just be political theater, but in this case, it’s directly endangering Americans, as we’ve experienced multiple terror attacks since U.S. operations against Iran commenced.

To kneecap the Department of Homeland Security at this time over disputes about one specific department is a dereliction of duty.

The CEOs continued, saying that this kind of gamesmanship should never occur again when it comes to air travel…

The article concludes:

The GOP should remind voters of the Democrats’ shenanigans every single day until November 3.

I agree.

Now Is Not The Time To Leave DHS Unfunded

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On March 13th, The Daily Caller posted an article about one Democrat Senator who is now willing to vote with the Republicans to end the partial government shutdown. It only took a terrorist attack in her home state for her to change her mind.

The article reports:

Democratic Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin changed her tune on funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Friday after a Lebanese national attacked a Metro Detroit synagogue.

DHS identified the deceased suspect who attacked the Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, as Ayman Mohamed Ghazali, a Lebanese native who became a U.S. citizen in 2016. Slotkin, who voted in favor of continuing the partial shutdown of DHS on Thursday, said during a press conference that DHS needs to be funded because it is an “essential” agency.

The article concludes:

Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was the only member of his party to support the full-year appropriations bill for DHS.

Ghazali allegedly rammed his vehicle into the synagogue in West Bloomfield while several explosives were in the trunk. He then engaged in gunfire with the building’s security team, which caused him to die at the scene, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said Thursday. The vehicle caught fire after “something ignited” inside.

The partial shutdown has caused lengthy lines at airports during the spring break travel season, which prompted the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to call on Democrats to end the shutdown. The partial shutdown marks the third time TSA employees have worked without pay in nearly six months.

We have had a number of violent ‘incidents’ in the past few weeks. I don’t know whether any of them would have been stopped by having a funded Department of Homeland Security, but I think it is necessary to admit that right now is a really good time to stop playing games and fund that department.

Trying To Protect Americans

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On Thursday, The Epoch Times reported that the U.S. House of Representatives had passed a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by a vote of 221–209. Four Democrats joined all Republicans in voting for it.

The article reports:

The vote came just hours after Senate Democrats again blocked a vote on legislation to fund the DHS, extending the shutdown of the agency.

The tally was 51–45.

A March 5 procedural vote to advance a full-year DHS spending bill failed to reach the 60-vote threshold it needed to move forward. A previous attempt was blocked on Feb. 24, although it garnered the support of Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.).
The votes came as President Donald Trump announced on March 5 that he is replacing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.). Noem is set to fill a newly created position called special envoy for the shield of the Americas. The president released the news shortly before the vote concluded.

This is not the time to shut down the DHS. We had four years of open borders under President Biden, and we have no idea who is in the country or why. This is the time for a more robust DHS.

The article reports:

The shutdown affects only part of the DHS because Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection are funded through 2029 under Trump’s sweeping reconciliation package passed in 2025. Congress has approved the remaining 11 appropriations bills, funding roughly 96 percent of the federal government.

Agencies affected include the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Coast Guard.

According to figures released by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), roughly 120,000 DHS employees are currently working without pay. About 95 percent of TSA employees are working without pay during the shutdown, while roughly two-thirds of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s workforce has been furloughed.

The bill would provide $5.7 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, an $873 million increase over fiscal year 2025 levels, excluding $26.37 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund.

It allocates $3.25 billion to the Secret Service, including $44 million for security planning related to major upcoming events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup, America250 celebrations, and the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

The legislation would also provide $7.96 billion for the TSA, including $300 million for checkpoint screening systems, funding for exit-lane staffing, law enforcement officer and canine reimbursement programs, and $13.9 million to reimburse airports for installing explosive detection systems.

All Congressmen and Representatives should have their salaries docked any time any part of the government is shut down. Shutting down domestic security at a time when the country is at war should be regarded as treason.

Wasn’t Anyone Paying Attention?

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On Friday, American Greatness posted an article related to the Somali fraud in Minnesota.

The article reports:

A TSA whistleblower has come forward to say she routinely witnessed Somalian immigrants flying out of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport carrying suitcases stuffed with millions of dollars of cash and fake passports.

“It seemed so lackadaisical that these people could get through the airport with all that cash,” the former TSA agent told Alpha News reporter Liz Collin, this week. “Time after time after time. It wasn’t a one time thing.”

She said “it was frustrating to see it when I was a TSA agent and it’s certainly frustrating now watching this state’s administration.”

During a press conference in St. Paul, Friday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) attempted to downplay the massive amount of fraud that has been perpetrated by his state’s Somali community.

…She (the whistleblower) added that it “really blew her mind” because they were always able to get through the checkpoints.

“Typically, what would happen is a law enforcement officer would come, check their credentials,” she told Collin, adding that it wouldn’t be too difficult to identify them now because there is a paper trail of their travels, as well as surveillance video.

“Their I.D.s were always documented and probably their plane tickets as well,” she explained. “So there is a trail of that out there.”

The whistleblower estimated that in the five years she was a TSA agent at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport at least “a billion dollars went through the airport.”

The former agent said in one instance, a Somali man has a carry on bag “filled with brand new passports,” lamenting that “he was allowed to go through the checkpoint.”

We are less than a year into the Trump administration and this corruption is now coming to light. Where was the Biden administration during their four years in office? How did they miss this (or did they)?

Paying Federal Employees To Do Union Work

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On Friday, Zero Hedge posted an article about the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The DHS is ending collective bargaining for Transportation Security Officers with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). That seems a little odd until you look into the details.

The article reports:

According to the report, The TSA has more people doing “full-time union work” vs. performing actual screening functions at 86% of US airports. Put another way, 374 out of 432 federalized airports have fewer than 200 TSA Officers to perform screening functions, while the rest are paid by the government but work “full-time on union matters” and do not retain certification to perform screening.

What’s more, DHS cited a recent TSA employee survey which found that over 60% of “poor performers” are allowed to stay employed and “not surprisingly, continue to not perform.”

(Also, maybe get rid of the nut-grabbers in the TSA patdown area when we don’t want to submit to those Total Recall scanners made by Leidos – formerly SAIC).

This is not a successful business plan.

The article concludes:

“Thanks to [DHS] Secretary Noem’s action, Transportation Security Officers will no longer lose their hard-earned dollars to a union that does not represent them. The Trump Administration is committed to returning to merit-based hiring and firing policies,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement, adding “This action will ensure Americans will have a more effective and modernized [workforce] across the nation’s transportation networks—meaning shorter airport security wait times. TSA is renewing its commitment to providing a quick and secure travel process for Americans.”

Another step in the right direction for American taxpayers.

A Reminder

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On December 31, The Western Journal posted an article reminding Americans that beginning on May 7, 2025, Americans will need a REAL ID-compliant ID to board a domestic flight, visit certain federal facilities or enter a nuclear power plant.

The article reports:

“Come early May, you will need a REAL ID-compliant ID (which you may already have) to board a domestic flight. It will also be necessary if you are visiting certain federal facilities or entering a nuclear power plant,” the service reported.

“Once the REAL ID requirement kicks in, federal agencies like TSA will be prohibited from accepting state-issued IDs that do not meet the necessary standards.”

At this point, they noted, “all states must at least require proof of your legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, legal residency, and two forms verifying your address before issuing a driver’s license or ID card.”

“Thankfully, many states have been issuing REAL ID-compliant IDs for years, which means there is a good chance you already have one. The quickest way to tell is by looking at your driver’s license or state-issued ID: if there is a star — it will be either black or gold, appear as a star or a cutout — your ID is a REAL ID.”

If you opt out of the program, you’ll be issued a license with “Federal Limits Apply” on it.

“As of the end of December, the REAL ID rules will take effect on May 7, 2025. Once the deadline passes, if you do not have a REAL ID, you may need to provide another form of identification, like a U.S. passport or military ID, to board a plane,” Nexstar noted.

The article notes:

Of course, as we approach a quarter of a century since 9/11, we know that federalizing ID standards is more or less pointless; the weak point in the system with those terrorist attacks was a series of missed red flags by the same team of bureaucrats we’re now entrusting to federalize what was once a state matter, the issuance of driver’s licenses.

It’s impossible to believe that legislation so unwieldy that it will be implemented only 17 years after it was supposed to has actually stopped an attack — or done anything, period, aside from create new, fresh levels of bureaucracy for people to navigate.

Please follow the link to read the story of an American citizen who had trouble getting a real ID because his parents did not file the proper paperwork at the time of his birth.