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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MSNBC’s The Weekend, where he emphasized that while Republicans remain on vacation, Democrats are ready to negotiate a spending agreement that ends the Republican government shutdown and healthcare crisis.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Joining us is House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of the great state of New York. Leader Jeffries, thank you for coming to The Weekend. So votes have been canceled for Tuesday through Friday. Speaker Johnson is not bringing the House back to order, not having Republicans come back to town. Is he making a tactical mistake by keeping Republicans out of the House? Wouldn’t it put pressure on you and the Democratic Caucus if they were in Washington and putting the screws to you guys to come to the table and either negotiate or push you to give him the votes, give Republicans the votes they need to get that CR over the finish line?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, the pressure continues to be on Republicans, because this is a Trump-Republican shutdown. And Democrats, from the very beginning, have made clear that we will sit down with anyone, anytime, anyplace, including on Capitol Hill, or go back to the White House, in order to reopen the government, in order to enact a spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people and to address the Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating people from all across the country. House Republicans canceled votes last week, canceled votes this week and now they’ve canceled votes next week. They’re running scared. They don’t know what to do. They’re unwilling to address the crisis that they’ve created. Largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Hospitals, nursing homes, community-based health centers all across the country closing because of what Republicans did in their One Big Ugly Bill. And now they are refusing to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which means tens of millions of Americans are going to experience dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles, paying thousands of dollars per year more for their health insurance, which they will not be able to afford.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Leader Jeffries, just to follow up, a minute ago, you said, you know, that you guys are there ready to meet anytime, anywhere, you’re willing to go back to the White House. You and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer did go to the White House with Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Thune to meet with the President. I’m just wondering, when you were in that meeting, did you get the sense that President Trump was eager to or would make a deal with you when it comes to at least extending the Obamacare subsidies?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Initially, there was an acknowledgment that something needed to happen with respect to addressing the healthcare of the American people. Now, Republicans didn’t accept the blame for the crisis that they have visited on everyday Americans, and we were very clear this is a Republican-created crisis. But there was some acknowledgment that there was a need to deal with the issue around the Affordable Care Act tax credits in some way, shape or form. Now, the Republicans in that meeting suggested that they had all the time in the world to do something, and that they didn’t need to act now. And our view was that open enrollment starts on November 1st, and notices are going out right now to people all across the country, indicating that their health insurance costs are about to skyrocket in ways that will make things unaffordable for them to be able to even go see a doctor when they need one for themselves, their children and their family. That’s why our position has been clear from the very beginning, House and Senate Democrats holding strong, that we need to address this Republican healthcare crisis, and we need to do it with the fierce urgency of now.

JACKIE ALEMANY: Leader Jeffries, I want to ask you about a refrain that we have heard from Republicans over these past few weeks, that the premiums go to people who are making between $130,000 and $600,000, and that, at the end of the day, that $600K is just too high of a number. Now, look, I have heard, from people who are worried and have already heard from their insurance companies about—who make very minimal income and are worried about losing their healthcare. But what about those families who are making $600,000? I mean, do you agree with some of these Republicans that that max should come down a little bit? Is this a handout to insurance companies?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, that’s a stone-cold lie that Republicans have been telling, and it’s belied by the facts. 93% percent of the people who benefit from the Affordable Care Act tax credits make $63,000 or less, right. Those are working-class Americans, everyday Americans and middle-class Americans. For instance, a couple that makes about $88,000 per year and currently receives Affordable Care Act tax credits—their health insurance is $8,000 a year. That’s already too high. But they can at least afford it, barely, as a result of the Affordable Care Act tax credits. If they go away, those tax credits, that same couple, which makes $88,000 a year, would have to pay $24,000 for health insurance. They can’t afford that. That will medically bankrupt them. Those are the type of people who we are working hard to protect their healthcare.

JACKIE ALEMANY: But Leader, that might be the average, but that doesn’t mean that people who make up to $600,000 a year, that those families who make that kind of money aren’t eligible to receive these premiums.

LEADER JEFFRIES: No, it’s not the average, it’s the overwhelming majority, when you’re talking about 93% of the people make $63,000 or less. That’s the overwhelming majority.

JACKIE ALEMANY: But do you think Democrats could still negotiate to potentially come down on that maximum?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, what we’ve said is that we’re open to evaluate anything that is presented in good faith in terms of adjustments that may be proposed, potentially that come out of the Senate in a bipartisan way. The challenge that we have in the House is that Mike Johnson has basically made clear—we have no interest in doing anything about the healthcare of the American people. In fact, in that White House meeting, he said that healthcare is extraneous. No, healthcare is not extraneous, I pointed out in that White House meeting. It’s central to the well-being of everyday Americans. That’s why Democrats have raised it as an issue that needs to be addressed.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Yeah, so central that even Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is out there saying something needs to be done about this. But you know, Congressman, speaking of good faith, one of the other sticking points that you and other Democrats have made in all of this, healthcare being issue bold number one. But a secondary issue is rescissions and how that is still on the table. Yesterday, Semafor reported about the press, a call that was done between the House Freedom Caucus with the press and I want to read this. On this press call with the House Freedom Caucus, Johnson tells reporters, quote, ‘we worked on rescissions and there will be more of that we expect in the days ahead.’ Leader Jeffries, how can you negotiate with anyone who might agree with you on something on Monday and then by Monday afternoon, once it’s all firm and signed and official, gives the White House the ability to snatch it all back. Is that good faith?

LEADER JEFFRIES: It’s not good faith. At all. And this is part of the challenge as well that we confront at this moment. Now, we’ve said we’ll sit down and try to find a bipartisan path forward to reach a spending agreement that actually improves the quality of life of the American people. But part of that means that there’s got to be enforceability once an agreement is reached that is actually followed by the administration, by the White House and by the Congress. And that’s why in the continuing resolution that was introduced by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee in the House, and her partner Senator Patty Murray, it also includes language to make sure that if we agree upon how taxpayer dollars should be spent to make life better for the American people, then those taxpayer dollars should be spent in that way.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Leader Jeffries, one more question before we have to let you go. New York State Attorney General Letitia James indicted on bank fraud charges. Just your reaction to that and whether this indictment will successfully lead to the prosecution of the state’s chief law enforcement officer.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, Attorney General Tish James, who I’ve known for more than 20 years, is an incredible public servant. She’s strong. She’s brilliant. She’s talented. She’s hardworking. And she’s got great integrity. This indictment is not worth the paper that it is written on. It’s a malicious prosecution, and I believe that it’s going to be dismissed in short order once this case is actually in a court of law. And what this also illustrates is that Donald Trump has spent more time on this revenge tour then on actually driving down the high cost of living that he’s making worse here in the country. He promised to lower costs on day one. Costs aren’t going down. They’re going up. That’s why Democrats are fighting to lower the high costs of living in terms of healthcare or groceries or housing and electricity bills. But instead, Donald Trump is focused on the wrong things. It’s chaos. It’s confusion. It’s crisis. It’s corruption. All day, every day. And that’s why the American people know that under Trump and Republican policies, the country is moving in the wrong direction.

JACKIE ALEMANY: Leader Jeffries, we’re gonna have to leave it there. Thank you so much for joining us and we hope you will come back.

Full interview can be watched here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on PBS NewsHour, where he emphasized the need for Republicans to negotiate toward bipartisan legislation that successfully reopens the government while protecting Americans’ healthcare.

GEOFF BENNETT: Leader Jeffries, welcome back to the NewsHour.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Thanks for having me on.

GEOFF BENNETT: When you were on this program nine days ago, you said there’d been no communication from either the White House or Republican leaders in the House or the Senate about ending this shutdown. It doesn’t appear that that’s changed, has it?

LEADER JEFFRIES: It has not changed, unfortunately. This is day 10 of the Trump Republican shutdown. Clearly, they don’t want to reopen the government. As Democrats, we’ve made clear we’ll sit down with anyone, any time, any place, to have a bipartisan negotiation about enacting a spending bill that makes life better for the American people, reopens the government and addresses the Republican healthcare crisis. Unfortunately, House Republicans, who canceled votes last week, canceled votes this week and have now canceled votes next week, remain on vacation, missing in action, and Donald Trump has shown no interest in actually trying to resolve this situation.

GEOFF BENNETT: What do you make of these Republican proposals to partially reopen the government, funding select agencies while leaving other ones shuttered?

LEADER JEFFRIES: I think it’s important for us to make sure that we actually pay our men and women in uniform in a manner consistent with what has been done in prior shutdowns. That should be priority number one at this moment. More than 1.3 million people who are on active duty and have been asked to work without pay because of the Republican refusal to address this issue. And so I think we need to take that step forward and then evaluate whatever other proposals come forward relative to reopening the government. But we have to reopen the government in a way that also addresses the Republican healthcare crisis and the Republicans’ continued refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which is going to have a devastating impact on premiums, copays and deductibles for tens of millions of Americans all across the country.

GEOFF BENNETT: As we speak this afternoon, the OMB Director, Russ Vought, tweeted moments ago, ‘The RIFs have begun,’ making good, apparently, on the threat of mass layoffs by the Trump administration. An OMB spokesperson says that the layoffs will be significant. Do you have a sense of which agencies would be affected, how many people would be affected? And beyond that, this is a clear power play by the administration to force the hand of Democrats. Does this play any role in your decision-making?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Donald Trump and his corrupt administration have been engaging in mass firings and layoffs of federal employees since January 20. They’ve been targeting hardworking federal employees, pressuring them, dismissing them without justification and violating the law. So this is just a continuation of the chaos, the crisis and the confusion that we’ve seen during the entirety of the Trump administration. We’re going to continue to stay the course as Democrats—that’s what House and Senate Democrats have done together—to address the situation that Republicans have created. Largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Hospitals, nursing homes and community-based health clinics closing all throughout America, particularly in rural parts of this country. The fact that Republicans refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, resulting and dramatically increased healthcare premiums for tens of millions of Americans that will cost double, triple, or quadruple what they are currently paying. Some will face medical bankruptcy. Many others will be unable to get the insurance and the access to the doctors that they need. And on top of all of that, they’re targeting the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control in ways that are going to undermine the public health infrastructure in the United States of America. This has been an all-out Republican assault on the healthcare of the American people, which is why it needs to be decisively addressed right now, because it impacts everyone.

GEOFF BENNETT: When you talk about Democrats and Republicans working together on healthcare, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who, as you well know, no fan of Democrats, not typically aligned with Democrats, says she supports preserving the ACA subsidies, in large part because she says the insurance premiums of her adult children are set to skyrocket. Does that signal any real opening for bipartisan cooperation?

LEADER JEFFRIES: I think what it signals is a growing recognition amongst my Republican colleagues that we have a healthcare crisis. Unfortunately, it’s a healthcare crisis that they’ve created, and it needs to be decisively addressed. House Republican leaders continue to bury their heads in the sand, unfortunately, and they’re joined by Senate Republican leadership that continues to force vote after vote on their partisan Republican spending bill that Democrats aren’t supporting because that partisan Republican spending bill continues to gut the healthcare of everyday Americans. And that’s not an acceptable situation in this country, the wealthiest country in the history of the world.

GEOFF BENNETT: I want to ask you about the politics of all this, because just the other day, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, he said that Democrats have the momentum, and he said, ‘Every day gets better for us.’ Republicans are seizing upon that, including the Senate Majority Leader, John Thune, who was on this program last night, and they’re accusing Democrats of politicizing the shutdown. Do you worry that a moment like that, a statement like that undercuts what you see as Democrats having the moral high ground?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, House Democrats and Senate Democrats, led by Leader Schumer, are in this fight to make life better for the American people, to lower healthcare costs, to address the Republican healthcare crisis, to cancel the cuts, and to save the healthcare of the American people. That’s the reason why we’re in this fight.

GEOFF BENNETT: For federal workers who risk missing a paycheck, for military families facing uncertainty, for everyday Americans who want to visit a national park, they are all wondering, ‘When will this shutdown end?’ What would you tell them?

LEADER JEFFRIES: We need Donald Trump and Republicans to come to the negotiating table. We want to reopen the government. We want to reopen it now. We want to reach a bipartisan agreement in a way that spends taxpayer dollars that actually improve the quality of life of the American people, that addresses the cost-of-living crisis that we’re confronting in this country. You know, Donald Trump and Republicans promised that costs would go down on day one, but costs aren’t going down under Republican control of government here in Washington. Costs are going up, inflation is going up. The Trump tariffs are making life more expensive for millions of Americans who are paying thousands of dollars in additional expense per year. And now, we’re on the brink of this massive increase in premiums, copays and deductibles because of a Republican refusal to sit down and negotiate an extension around the Affordable Care Act tax credits. We stand by our hard-working federal employees. We will continue to support them. We stand by the American people, and we want to bring this to a close, but we need good-faith partners on the other side of the aisle to sit down and negotiate a bipartisan path forward.

GEOFF BENNETT: House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thanks again for your time. We appreciate it.

Full interview can be watched here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Dear Colleague:

I write with respect to our continuing effort to reopen the government, negotiate a bipartisan spending agreement and decisively address the Republican healthcare crisis.

In the coming weeks, hardworking American taxpayers will experience dramatically increased healthcare premiums, copays and deductibles. Tens of millions of Americans will see their insurance payments increase by thousands of dollars per year, in an environment where the cost of living is already too high. That is why we must extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits immediately. 

At the same time, Republicans have enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history, ripping healthcare away from millions of people. As a result of the Republican healthcare crisis, hospitals, nursing homes and community-based health centers are closing throughout the country. Urgent action is needed now. 

Democrats remain ready to reopen the government and pay our troops. We will continue to strongly support federal workers who have been under vicious attack from the Trump administration all year. Unfortunately, Donald Trump and Rubber Stamp Republicans in Congress have pursued a my way or the highway, go-it-alone approach from the very beginning of his presidency. They would rather close the government than continue Affordable Care Act tax credits for working-class Americans and middle-class families. 

Equally troublesome, Republicans have completely abdicated their governance responsibility by cancelling votes in the House for a third consecutive week. Instead of voting on legislation to reopen the government, pay our troops and address the Republican healthcare crisis, they remain on vacation.

That is why it is critically important for House Democrats to once again return to Washington to stand up for the healthcare of everyday Americans, pay our active duty troops and support hardworking federal civil servants. On Tuesday, October 14 at 6:00 p.m., we will convene at the Capitol for an in-person House Democratic Caucus meeting to discuss the path forward in connection with the Republican Shutdown and the healthcare crisis they have created. The next day, on Wednesday, October 15, there will be a full slate of work-related activities, including an action on the Capitol Steps, another Caucus meeting, a Steering & Policy hearing on rising healthcare costs, press engagements and our third virtual National Town Hall as we speak directly to the American people. 

Thank you for your continued leadership and strength of purpose. I look forward to seeing you back in Washington as we fight to reopen the government, cancel the cuts, lower the cost and save healthcare. 

Sincerely,

Hakeem Jeffries

Democratic Leader

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

Headline: Carter introduces resolution in support of President Trump Winning the Nobel Peace Prize, will file discharge petition to force a vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) today introduced a resolution expressing the sense of Congress that President Donald J. Trump should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the historic peace deals secured during his time in office, including the recent announcement of an end to hostilities and release of hostages in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

If needed, he intends to file a discharge petition that will force a vote on this measure, which cites the administration’s deals between Azerbaijan and Armenia; Cambodia and Thailand; Israel and Iran; Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo; India and Pakistan; Egypt and Ethiopia; Serbia and Kosovo; and, Israel and Hamas.

“No one deserves the Nobel Peace Prize more than Donald J. Trump, the Peace President. In nine short months, he’s negotiated seven peace deals, not including the recent announcement of a historic agreement between Israel and Hamas to release the hostages and end hostilities. He has already saved countless lives, and the world is forever indebted to him for his courageous pursuit of peace,” said Rep. Carter. 

Original Cosponsors of the resolution include: Reps. Randy Weber (R-TX), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Jimmy Patronis (R-FL), and María Elvira Salazar (R-FL). 

Read the full resolution here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), who represents a Northern Virginia congressional district with one of the largest concentrations of federal workers in the U.S. House, issued the following statement today on illegal, unnecessary mass firings of federal workers announced by the Trump Administration and Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought:

“The mass firings Russ Vought and the Trump Administration announced today are cruel, illegal, and yet another attack on our economy. This is a disaster for Virginia, intentionally inflicted by President Trump and his Republican allies. These firings are also already being fought in court.

“This President is killing jobs at a disastrous rate, while forcing the continuation of a government shutdown that would end if he simply agreed to prevent skyrocketing health care price increases. Instead of doing that, however, Trump and Vought are illegally firing more workers, hurting essential services for the American people, and damaging our economy in Virginia and across the country. Vought is also further abusing power by corruptly freezing hundreds of energy infrastructure projects, which will kill even more jobs and raise electricity prices across the nation.

“Everyone should understand that a government shutdown does not require or enable mass firings of federal workers, in fact it forbids it. President Trump and Russ Vought have been firing federal workers by the thousands continuously since the beginning of the DOGE disaster, and as numerous Republicans have admitted, they plainly hoped to use the pretext of a shutdown to fire even more American workers. But directing these firings during a shutdown violates the law, and the laws they are violating are criminal statutes.

“This Administration’s corruption is only matched by its willingness to sabotage our economy and raise prices for the American people. Trump and Vought’s lawless contempt for Congress’ powers under the Constitution will also make it harder to get the bipartisan deal that is needed to end this shutdown.

“I will continue doing all I can to support and protect federal workers and contractors in Northern Virginia and across the country. To those workers, I say again: you deserve so much better than this, and while I know this is yet another dark moment in a dark year, please do not lose hope. The country still sees and values your service, and your work is not in vain.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

WASHINGTON — On Day 10 of the Democrat Government Shutdown, Speaker Johnson held a press conference alongside House GOP Leadership and Chairman Steil of the Committee on House Administration to discuss Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats’ repeated votes to keep the government closed and block paychecks for American troops and federal civilian workers.

“Chuck Schumer is hurting real Americans for his own political survival,” Speaker Johnson said.

Watch Speaker Johnson’s full remarks here.

On Democrats’ eighth vote to block paychecks for American troops and federal workers:

Republicans have voted over and over to end this madness and reopen the federal government. We did our job. By way of reminder, the House passed a clean, nonpartisan CR three weeks ago today to keep the government funded and, by extension, to pay our troops and TSA agents and Border Patrol agents and air traffic controllers and the rest of our federal workforce. We had that vote three weeks ago. And since then, Senate Democrats have voted repeatedly to keep the government closed, and the Senate, they have now voted seven times to block paychecks for 2 million federal civilian workers and 1.3 million active-duty military men and women. Now, I want to be very specific, so that everybody in America can clearly cut through the obstruction and understand exactly who is to blame for this chaos.

Let’s just make clear: This is the vote to pay troops and federal workers. This is the number of times that the vote has been done. On September 19^th, the GOP in the House voted to pay the troops and pay all these federal workers. The Senate did it on September 19^th, September 30^th, again on October 1^st, 3^rd, 6^th, and the 8^th and the 9^th. Every single time the Republicans voted to pay the troops and federal workers, and every single time the Democrats voted not to. That is the record.

The Senate will continue to put this bill on the floor. It’ll be on the floor again next week, and we’ll see how many times they want people to go without paychecks. The Republicans are not playing games here.

On the devastating consequences of Democrats’ obstruction on American troops and federal civilian workers:

Today, marks the first day federal workers across America will receive a partial paycheck, thanks to Democrats’ obstruction to the system here. This is the last paycheck that 700,000 federal workers will see until Washington Democrats decide to do their job and reopen the government.

Starting next week, American servicemembers, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, are going to miss a full paycheck. If Democrats don’t end this shutdown by Monday, then that October 15^th date will pass us by. You’ve got millions of American families who will now have to figure out how to make their mortgage, how to cover their rent, pay the car note, and keep food on the table, because Democrats, Chuck Schumer and his colleagues in the Senate, are here playing games.

On Chuck Schumer bragging about keeping the government closed:

What Chuck Schumer’s doing right now is sickening. It’s sickening to hear him say this shutdown is better for him and his party when it’s so terrible for real Americans. Millions of people are experiencing real pain because of these political games, and you’d think after 44 years in Congress, Chuck Schumer would know better. But it seems apparent now that he spent too long in Washington to understand the real pain of real people.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Julia Brownley (D-CA)

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) introduced the Keep Air Travel Safe Act, legislation to ensure Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees are paid during government shutdowns. This bill redirects funding from President Trump’s dangerous $45 billion slush fund for building and expanding new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers to support essential TSA workers during prolonged funding lapses.

“TSA officers serve on the frontlines of our nation’s transportation system, ensuring the safety of millions of travelers every day,” said Congresswoman Brownley. “It is completely unacceptable that, because Republicans have shut down the government, these essential officers are being forced to work without pay. Both TSA and ICE are agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, yet while TSA employees are keeping Americans safe without pay, Republicans have chosen to direct resources toward an unnecessary and already bloated account for detention centers within ICE’s budget. Our priorities should be clear: we should be paying the people who keep Americans safe, not expanding detention facilities that carry out the Trump administration’s cruel and inhumane immigration policies. I thank Congresswoman Dingell for her leadership on this issue, and I am proud to stand with her in supporting this timely bill.”

“During a shutdown, TSA agents work on the frontlines keeping Americans safe, ensuring security at our airports, and keeping our aviation running, all without pay,” said Congresswoman Dingell. “This bill makes sure their hard work is respected and their paychecks continue by redirecting unnecessary spending from President Trump’s ‘One Big Ugly Bill.’ TSA agents should never have to choose between doing their jobs and paying their bills. Keeping TSA fully funded during a shutdown isn’t just about fairness, it’s about maintaining national security and public confidence in air travel.”

Background

During a federal government shutdown, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are deemed “essential,” meaning they must continue screening travelers and maintaining airport security even when federal funding lapses. Despite being required to work, they will receive no pay until the shutdown ends.

This has real consequences. During the 2018-2019 shutdown, hundreds of TSA officers called out sick or resigned after going weeks without pay, resulting in long security lines, missed flights, and temporary terminal closures at major airports. 

The Keep Air Travel Safe Act serves as a critical safeguard to prevent these disruptions during extended shutdowns, ensuring TSA officers are compensated and our aviation system remains secure and functional.

Read the full text of the bill here.

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Issues: 119th Congress, Budget, Jobs, Economy, and Small Business, Transportation and Infrastructure

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) and Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) today introduced the Keep Air Travel Safe Act, legislation to ensure Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees are paid during government shutdowns. This bill redirects funding from President Trump’s dangerous $45 billion slush fund for building and expanding new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers to support essential TSA workers during prolonged funding lapses.

“During a shutdown, TSA agents work on the frontlines keeping Americans safe, ensuring security at our airports, and keeping our aviation running, all without pay,” said Dingell. “This bill makes sure their hard work is respected and their paychecks continue by redirecting unnecessary spending from President Trump’s ‘One Big Ugly Bill.’ TSA agents should never have to choose between doing their jobs and paying their bills. Keeping TSA fully funded during a shutdown isn’t just about fairness, it’s about maintaining national security and public confidence in air travel.”

“TSA officers serve on the frontlines of our nation’s transportation system, ensuring the safety of millions of travelers every day,” said Brownley. “It is completely unacceptable that, because Republicans have shut down the government, these essential officers are being forced to work without pay. Both TSA and ICE are agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, yet while TSA employees are keeping Americans safe without pay, Republicans have chosen to direct resources toward an unnecessary and already bloated account for detention centers within ICE’s budget. Our priorities should be clear: we should be paying the people who keep Americans safe, not expanding detention facilities that carry out the Trump administration’s cruel and inhumane immigration policies. I thank Congresswoman Dingell for her leadership on this issue, and I am proud to stand with her in supporting this timely bill.”

Read the full bill text here.

Background Information

During the government shutdown, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are deemed “essential,” meaning they must continue screening travelers and maintaining airport security even when federal funding lapses. Despite being required to work, they will receive no pay until the shutdown ends.

This has real consequences. During the 2018-2019 shutdown, hundreds of TSA officers called out sick or resigned after going weeks without pay, resulting in long security lines, missed flights, and temporary terminal closures at major airports.

The Keep Air Travel Safe Act serves as a critical safeguard to prevent these disruptions during extended shutdowns, ensuring TSA officers are compensated and our aviation system remains secure and functional.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press availability where he reemphasized that House Democrats are committed to finding a solution that protects the healthcare of the American people and ends the reckless Republican-caused government shutdown.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning, everyone. The government has been shut down for ten days. Our men and women in uniform and hardworking federal employees are working without pay. Donald Trump can find the time to play golf, but he can’t be bothered negotiating a bipartisan agreement to reopen the government and address the healthcare crisis that they’ve created and House Republicans remain on vacation for three weeks. The American people are sick and tired of the chaos, crisis and confusion that has been visited upon the country by Donald Trump and Republican complete control of Congress.

As Democrats, our position remains very clear. We will sit down with anyone, any time, any place—here at the Capitol or back at the White House—to reopen the government, pay our federal employees, enact a spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people and, at the same time, address the Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating the American people.

Full press conference can be watched here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Sean Casten (IL-06)