Sean Duffy urges Democrats to 'come to their senses' as TSA squeeze cripples airport operations
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Sunday sounded the alarm on prolonged airport delays during the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, warning that the funding stalemate is crippling Transportation Security Administration (TSA) operations and leaving the country vulnerable.
Duffy told "Sunday Morning Futures" that some TSA agents were turning to other sources of income to provide for their families, leading to airport security wait times of three to four hours at some airports as spring break begins for millions of students.
About 300 TSA agents have quit, he said, and call-outs have doubled after agents missed their first full paychecks.
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The Transportation secretary blamed Democrats for the funding standoff and accused holdouts of caring more about illegal immigrants than American travelers.
"This is what these Democrats want. And so my hope is that Democrats will come to their senses, open up DHS and then have a negotiation, have a conversation, but in the process, don't hold America hostage to just get what you want," he said.
DHS has been partially shut down for 30 days and counting as Republicans hold out for a budget proposal that fully funds all parts of Homeland Security, while Democrats say they're willing to fund individual branches within the department, including TSA, but not Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) until the Trump administration agrees to immigration reform.
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The shutdown persists amid multiple terrorism-related incidents in the past week, including an ISIS-inspired bomb plot in New York, a synagogue vehicle ramming and shooting in Michigan, and a shooting targeting ROTC members at Old Dominion University in Virginia.
Duffy pointed to Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., whose state was the site of the recent synagogue attack.
"She voted every time against funding DHS. And once the threat to her community was real, from radicals, now she says, 'Let's open up DHS,' and I think it begs the question, are Democrats waiting for Americans to get hurt, to get killed, before they actually put your security before those who have come to this country unlawfully and illegally?"
"I hope that's not their position, but we can get to a better place if they would just come to their senses and negotiate after they open it up."