Forty-one days. That’s how long folks like Todd at the Des Moines Airport and my friend Sammy in the U.S. Coast Guard have gone without a full paycheck — and they’re still showing up for work every day.
They’re doing their job. But in the Senate, Democrats just rejected another deal to fund DHS — leaving these paychecks in limbo while the House moves forward with bipartisan support.
The problem: The House has now passed three bipartisan bills to fund DHS and pay frontline personnel. There have been continuous bipartisan negotiations to get this done — and at every step, Senate Democrats have walked away, continuing to withhold funding that had already been agreed to.
The only thing that’s changed in 41 days is Washington partisanship taking paychecks away from the people keeping us safe.
Why it matters: TSA is now seeing the longest wait times in history — 65,000 officers going unpaid, and travel is getting less secure. Every day this drags on has a real cost for Iowa and the entire country.
Where I stand: To every TSA officer, Coast Guard member, and DHS employee working without a paycheck right now — in Iowa and across the country — I will not stop fighting to get you paid. I’m one of the most bipartisan Members of Congress, and I voted to express my support and fully fund DHS again today.
The fastest way to end this is for Senate Democrats to stop holding hardworking Americans’ paychecks hostage and fully fund the Department of Homeland Security.
Bottom Line: Forty-one days without pay is unacceptable. Todd, Sammy, and 260,000 DHS personnel are still doing their jobs. It’s time for the Senate to do theirs.