By Natalie Andrews and Siobhan Hughes
WASHINGTON -- Several Senate Republicans are pressing the White House to declare a national emergency to free up money to pay Transportation Security Administration agents if lawmakers fail to reach a deal, according to people familiar with the matter.
Invoking the National Emergency Act, the people said, could give the administration flexibility to use unspent government funds to temporarily pay TSA employees. The potential move comes as tens of millions of Americans prepare to travel for spring break, as well as the Easter and Passover holidays, and face long lines due to workers calling out sick.
The Senate Republicans have privately framed the national emergency declaration as a fallback plan if negotiations to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which houses TSA, reach an impasse. Democrats blocked funding for DHS last month as they sought new rules on immigration enforcement, and talks have yet to shake loose an agreement. As the gridlock has intensified, Republicans have searched for other ways to fund DHS and pay TSA agents.
Senators have also discussed paying TSA agents with money from the tax law passed by Congress last year, some of the people said.
If the standoff doesn't end soon, Trump said at a cabinet meeting on Thursday, "we'll have to take some very drastic measures."
"It is true the White House is having discussions about a number of ideas to blunt the impact of the Democrat shutdown crisis, but no preparations or plans are currently underway," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statment. "The best and easiest way to pay TSA Agents is to fund DHS."
Lawmakers are still working to reach a legislative compromise before they leave for a scheduled two-week recess.
This week, Senate Republicans offered to fund all of DHS except for the unit of Immigration and Customs Enforcement that carries out arrests and deportations. Senate Democrats on Wednesday pressed to add more restrictions on immigration and border-patrol agents as a condition of funding DHS. Democrats are arguing for the new limits after two Americans were shot and killed by immigration officers in Minneapolis.
On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) said he has given Democrats what he termed his "last and final" offer. People familiar with the matter said the latest GOP proposal added language intended to block DHS from deploying other staff to conduct enforcement actions.
"There are some language requests that they made that we did everything we could do to accommodate," Thune told reporters.
Any effort by the administration to use unspent funds to temporarily pay TSA employees could be challenged in court. The Antideficiency Act prohibits federal spending without an appropriation by Congress.
Trump deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to airports on Monday to address long airport-security lines. The president said Wednesday that he might deploy the National Guard to airports to help with long lines and subsequent flight delays.
Write to Natalie Andrews at natalie.andrews@wsj.com and Siobhan Hughes at Siobhan.hughes@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 26, 2026 15:27 ET (19:27 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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