A rift within the Republican Party this week after Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) revealed that President Donald Trump personally blocked a strategic maneuver to end the month-long Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
The plan, co-authored by Kennedy and Senator Ted Cruz, was designed to bypass Democratic opposition and restore pay to thousands of federal workers, but it was reportedly scrapped on orders from the White House.
Speaking to Fox News, Kennedy explained the proposed two-step process: Republicans would first accept a Democratic offer to reopen every branch of DHS except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The GOP would then immediately fund ICE through a budget reconciliation process, a move that requires only a simple majority and would have stripped Democrats of their ability to block the funding.
“It would have worked. We could have had TSA paid by the end of the week,” Kennedy said. He noted, however, that the President instructed party lawmakers to stop seeking compromises with the opposition.
The political deadlock is having a measurable impact on national travel. According to Reuters, nearly 12% of the TSA workforce failed to report for duty this past Sunday. The staffing crisis has reached a tipping point, with more than 400 employees resigning since the shutdown began.
READ: Connecticut Sen. Murphy’s Resurfaced Video Sparks Fresh Firestorm Amid DHS Shutdown
To manage the thinning ranks at major hubs, the Trump administration has deployed ICE agents to assist with crowd control at more than a dozen airports, including Chicago, Houston, New York, and Philadelphia. Officials stated these agents are restricted to support tasks, such as exit management, rather than immigration enforcement.
A new point of contention emerged Monday regarding the appearance of these agents.
President Trump told reporters that he has requested agents remove their masks while working in airports. He argued that while masks are appropriate for high-stakes arrests of “murderers” and “criminals,” they are unnecessary for interacting with the general public. “I don’t like it for the airport,” Trump said.
The mask issue has become a focal point of the broader shutdown debate. Following two fatal shootings involving immigration agents in Minnesota earlier this year, Democratic lawmakers have demanded a ban on masks during public-facing operations to ensure better accountability.
This demand has become a core condition in the ongoing negotiations to reopen the department—a condition the White House and many Republicans continue to resist.
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