Washington, D.C. - Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke on the Senate floor urging Senators to vote for his motion to fund TSA and end the chaos at airports across the country as the Senate continues to negotiate reforms to ICE and CBP. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks:

Today, I have a motion that asks every Senator a very simple question: Do you want TSA workers to get their pay, yes or no? Are you tired, like many Americans are, of seeing the long lines at the airport, yes or no?

If Senators want to pay TSA workers and end the airport chaos, then they should support my motion. Our TSA workers cannot be taken hostage for political games. But that is what Republicans have done.

It is unacceptable, 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 Republicans have done.

Democrats want to pay TSA workers ASAP, no strings attached. A yes vote on my motion would start doing that.

This is the only vote, only vote, not the others, that the Senate has taken that will fund TSA no ands, ifs, or buts. This is the first time the Senate holds a vote related to paying TSA workers that has zero strings attached to it. This is the vote, the only vote, that says you are for supporting TSA families unconditionally.

All the votes Republicans have pushed so far tie TSA paychecks to fully funding ICE without any reforms. Republicans say "sure, we will pay TSA, but only if you keep funding ICE agents without any guardrails whatsoever."

That's not acceptable to the American people. So today my motion makes the matter very simple: let's pay TSA workers, ASAP. That's it. Nothing else. We can keep negotiating ICE and CPB separately from TSA.

We are having some productive conversations on getting reforms to ICE, and Democrats are going to continue pushing for real, serious reforms through legislation. But that is an ongoing process that should not get in the way of funding our TSA workers. So let's keep negotiating the outstanding issues with ICE while 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.

###