Source: Fox News
Summary
The House of Representatives passed a stopgap measure to temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security, but the bill is unlikely to pass in the Senate. The two-month funding extension would need 60 votes in the Senate, which is unlikely to happen. The House GOP leadership is arguing that their rejection of a Senate-passed deal is the way out of the shutdown. Meanwhile, the Senate has left for a two-week Easter recess, leaving tens of thousands of DHS employees unpaid. President Donald Trump has taken executive action to pay TSA agents with existing funds.
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As expected, the matter has reached another stage.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., argued that the House GOP leadership’s rejection of a Senate-passed deal is the way out of the shutdown. He stated that they couldn’t split apart two of the most important agencies in the government and leave them hanging. The Senate has left for a two-week Easter recess, while the House is also scheduled to be in recess for the next two weeks. The tens of thousands of DHS employees are still working unpaid during the shutdown. President Trump has taken executive action to pay TSA agents with existing funds, but other DHS personnel will still have their paychecks withheld.
It’s clear that the shutdown has become a performance, with each side playing its role.
Author: Evan Null
