Trump moves to bypass Congress to pay TSA agents as airport chaos drags on

President Donald Trump announced Thursday he would try to bypass Congress and unilaterally order TSA agents paid amid the ongoing Department of Homeland Security funding crisis after 40 days of airport chaos failed to produce a deal with Democrats.

In a characteristic Truth Social screed, Trump framed the move as a heroic act of executive authority while simultaneously blasting Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democrats for the crisis. His own demands to tie DHS funding to his voter ID bill blew up negotiations earlier this week.

"The Radical Left Democrats, and their 'Leader,' Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, have made it very clear where they stand, and that is, ON THE SIDE OF CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS, AND NOT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. They are refusing to fund Immigration Enforcement unless the Republicans agree to their Open Border Policies, which will never, ever happen again. They almost destroyed our Country, allowing 25 Million People to enter from Prisons, Mental Institutions, and Insane Asylums, those that are Drug Dealers, and thousands of Murderers, many of whom killed more than one person," Trump said, repeating an array of false and misleading claims.

"I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation," Trump wrote, calling it "not an easy thing to do."

The announcement comes after TSA agents missed multiple paychecks, wait times at some airports topped four hours, and Senate Republicans publicly expressed frustration with the president's handling of the impasse. Outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) called Trump's demands "impossible," while Sen. Cynthia Lummis admitted she had "no idea" how the standoff would end.

Democrats had been demanding ICE reforms , including requiring judicial warrants and banning masked agents, in exchange for their votes to fund DHS.