Washington, D.C. - Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke on the Senate floor demanding Senate Republicans join Democrats and vote yes to advance Senate Democrats' efforts to fund TSA. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Today every Senator must answer a very simple question: Senator, do you want the chaos at our airports to come down, yes or no? Senator, let me repeat the question. Do you want the chaos at our airports to come down, yes or no?

If you've had enough of the long lines, if you want TSA workers to get paid, then vote yes on the motion that I am bringing before the Senate today. It's unacceptable for workers and travelers and entire airports to get taken hostage in political games. But that's what the Republicans are doing. It is unacceptable to say we will only pay TSA workers if it is attached to a bill that funds ICE with no reforms. But that's what the Republicans have been doing.

Democrats want to pay TSA workers ASAP, with no strings attached. A yes vote would do that. That's the first time in this chamber we'll have an opportunity to vote yes or no on whether you want to pay TSA workers ASAP, with no strings attached. Every bill they have brought before the Senate says, oh, yeah, we want to pay the TSA workers, we want to reduce the lines at airports, but only if you pass ICE funding with no reforms. And the American people want reform. They know that. But you got Stephen Miller up the in the White House and so many others who don't want any reform of ICE and our Republican Senate friends are willingly going along with that and holding airports, travelers, and TSA workers hostage.

We Democrats want to bring down the long lines at the airport. A yes vote, plain and simple, would do just that. I urge Republicans to support my motion. The chaos at airports has reached a boiling point. People have been waiting two hours, three hours, sometimes more, just to get through security. One couple in Austin said the line stretched right out the door and into the grass outside the airport.

Meanwhile, TSA workers are about to go a full month without pay. That is unacceptable. It means they cannot pay the rent or the mortgage. They cannot buy groceries. They are digging into their savings just to get by, these hardworking, good people. And at the same time, they are being asked to work brutal hours. It is no surprise many have been calling in sick. It is not even a surprise that many are looking for other jobs. They have to support their families and themselves. We need to bring this to an end today. Today. And that is what we can start doing with a yes vote on our motion.

Now, we've seen a lot of roll call votes over the past few weeks here on the floor related to DHS funding. They say they want to get up and fund TSA, but they want to fund all of DHS, even ICE, even Border Patrol, with no reform. This vote is different from what our colleagues on the other side have offered. It is a breakthrough because it says fund TSA only-fund TSA with no strings attached. Republicans, in essence, say they want to reopen all of DHS but only if there are no changes to ICE and Border Patrol when they vote. That's not acceptable, not just to us, not just to Democrats, but to the American people. The American people feel very strongly that ICE's conduct needs to be reined in. Trump himself, the originator of these horrible ICE goon squads, says they've gone too far. We can't just give ICE a blank check to keep operating without guardrails, as Republicans have proposed in their votes.

Today, Democrats offer to pay TSA without the anchor of demanding funding of ICE and CBP without any guardrails, which is what the Republicans are doing. We want to open TSA with no strings attached. Let me repeat, no strings attached. There's not one bill the Republicans have brought forward that doesn't have strings attached, strings that don't let it have a majority vote.

Now, we are having productive conversations on reforming ICE and CBP, and Democrats remain committed to securing serious reforms. But that's an ongoing process. They're meeting today again. But we must fund TSA now. Let us keep negotiating the outstanding issues with ICE, but let's start sending paychecks to TSA workers now. Let us end those long lines at the airport now. This is the logical, expedient, correct thing to do.

In conclusion, I urge my colleagues: vote yes if you want to pay TSA. Vote yes if you want to bring down those long lines at airports. Vote yes today.

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