Hey, folks, it is Friday, March twenty seventh, and not a damn thing got done for six weeks, and now all of a sudden, every great body wants to pay the TSA workers. And with that, welcome to this breaking news and very early episode of Amy and TJ.
Rhodes.
That's the headline. TSA workers are going to get paid. How by whom, who gets credit, we don't know, but we just had a little bit of chaos to pass several hours and it is pre sunrise hours as we're recording this.
It's amazing what suddenly can happen in Congress when their lives are upended, or when the potential of their vacation is hanging, or a loss vacation or maybe a missed day of vacation.
Suddenly suddenly they're compelled to motivations. Wow, that just shows you.
If it doesn't affect them, they'll take their sweet old time. It didn't matter that these folks hadn't been paid, that people were literally getting eviction, noticed that people were living in their cars, I think to take on second and third jobs. People waiting in lines for four and a half hours. Nah, none of that mattered.
We should preface this episode with this. Robes and I on very little sleep. We are very little. We are punchy as anything and exhausted, but in good moods, and this should be a very good story. That is the headline, folks. TSA workers are going to get paid based on announcement made and deals being made. But Robes, I can't help but be pissed. I'm happy for them, but it all comes down to why this was necessary in the first place.
Nobody got anything. Democrats didn't win, Republicans didn't win, and we are really talking about their recess, Robes. The Eastern recess was starting today today, So now all of a sudden, Oh, they might want to keep us here and we can't go home for our two week recess. We better get something done for these poor TSA workers. I'm happy, but I'm pissed.
Yeah, that's exactly, And I'm sure and we feel that way, and I think collectively most Americans feel that way.
But how do you think those TSA workers feel?
That has got to be Look, I don't know if it would make it any better if there was something that was gained from all of this, Maybe it would feel a little bit more it's not justifile, but at least it had meaning. Yes, to know that nothing came out of it is extra.
Frustrating, and both sides are going to say there was a point in somebody won don't believe anything. Nobody wins in this thing. Let us tell you what's going on, and we have to tell you, folks. It is about three thirty a m. Eastern time as we were recording this a little earlier than normal. I know we're crazy, but what just happened in the Senate is that the Senate that's been fighting, and they're the reason. Really, they're
the House of Congress that's been holding things up. They have agreed to fund DHS, which includes TSA but not ICE and just kick that can down the road. What this means Robes obviously, is that now TSA, which hasn't been getting paid for the past six weeks, they are now going to get paid. Hallelujah.
Celebration, right, yeah, but kind of yes, of course that's the celebratory part. Here's the deal though. This is also hilarious, and I note the sarcasm. They unanimously voted.
To approve, didn't even show up to vote.
Really, they unanimously voted to approve this funding. After all of the discord, after all of the divide, they all came together and sang kumbaya and voted to approve this funding. And by the way, minus ICE and border patrol. But really that doesn't even matter in a lot of ways, And we've talked about this before because they were already funded from Trump's big beautiful bill through twenty twenty seven,
so that was never even at issue. The whole issue about defunding DHS was about defunding or getting reformed for ICE. But Ice was never in peril. Ice agents never missed
a paycheck, the only people who paid. And truly they were being held as political hostages because they knew politicians knew that this was going to be the biggest disruptor to have TSA agents not paid, to have chaos at the airports would put pressure on lawmakers to do something, and so they were literally political footballs TSA workers.
Thank God for the long lines, because what I think about it, if they were only concerned about TSA workers, they'd have gone.
Home for Eastern Yeah, they wouldn't have cared.
But Americans are pisis the constituents who are voting for you or voting against you, waiting in four hour lines, missing flights, disrupting not just vacations but work trips and important family trips.
People have to get places, tragedies or happen.
Think about that and how many countless stories of people missing flights that wasn't just about vacation but were important and they couldn't get to where they needed to go because Congress was playing games.
And the game apparently is done at least this part part of it. That's the headline. The Senate has voted. They have passed this bill. The House. We should let you know they need to approve it as well. Most of them have not left, I don't think yet, so they have to approve this same bill. Expect them to do that because they had already passed a funding bill. Anyway. What we're saying is that the Senate was the hurdle. It seems like that has passed. This funding is going
to go through. Six weeks of pointlessness is now over. But robes that wasn't until an hour ago. The big headline or the news for TSA workers.
Yeah, I was going to ask you how much do you think Trump's truth social posts that happened last night had an impact on the Senate finally deciding to vote for this funding bill, because otherwise then the president just gets credit for finding a way to pay the TSA workers. And I wonder how much we'll get into what his truth social post and what he was offering to do. How much that impacted along with the Eastern Recess lawmaker's decision.
I we said here on the podcast yesterday day before, there's no way there. Go home for recess and leave these folks on the hook for two weeks while you're chilling at home with your folks reaster.
Although late yesterday it looked like that might happen.
The solid stalemate thought this was going to be the case. So the President steps in, but robes what did he? I think Democrats might have looked at his true social post where it was clear he is trying to step in and be the hero in this whole mess.
That's exactly and that is why I was thinking that was a motivator beyond just the Eastern Recess for Democrats, because Trump was going to claim victory and truly demonize He was already demonizing but maybe effectively demonizing the Democrats.
What was the what time was he? So, yes, let's take you back. So folks, before we yes, we talked about this breaking news. The Senate has passed this funding bill. TSA is going to get paid. But the president what time was it though?
Roe?
Seven pm Eastern time?
Oh it was that. Oh it was that late. I thought it was even early.
Oh okay, thirty seven pm Eastern time last night.
So this all happened late. The President steps in and says, I I am going to pay TSA workers. Not exactly sure how, but ropes he made the announcement. This was a big, big headline.
Yes, and he started his first sentence was the radical left Democrats and their leader cry and Chuck Schumer have made it very clear where they stand, and that is on the side of criminal, illegal aliens and not the American people. They are refusing to fund immigration enforcement unless the Republicans agree to their open border policies, which will
never ever happen again. He went on to say, they almost destroyed our country, allowing twenty five million people to enter from prisons, mental institutions, and insane asylums, those that are drug dealers, and thousands of murderers, many of whom killed more than one person. Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true national crisis. I am using my authorities under the law to protect our great country, as I
always do. Therefore, I am going to sign an order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Mark Wayne Mullen, to immediately pay our TSA agents in order to address this emergency situation and stop the Democrat chaos at the airports.
It's not an easy thing to do, but I'm going to do it.
I want to think are hardworking TSA agents and also Ice for the incredible health, incredible help they've given.
Us at the airports.
I will not allow the radical left Democrats to hold our country hostage any longer.
I like the line about this. It's hard to do, but I'm going to do it. It was clear he was stepping in to say I am the hero in this situation because they can't get it together. And me the guy you're upset with about Iran, Me the guy you're upset with about gas prices, Me the guy you're upset with about the economy and your food prices. Actually, I'm going to make all of your troubles go away, because currently it seems like, or feels like roll all
of our troubles are at the airport. They're not turn on the TV. It seems like the biggest problem Americans had, and he stepped in to solve that problem.
Yeah, and that was motivating.
I would have to imagine for all the lawmakers, but especially Democrats, to come to the table in a real way and figure out because look, the Republicans had made concessions. They did agree to take ice out of the funding, take border patrol out of the funding, and work on that later and consider certain I think, look, I'm not sure exactly which recommendations Republicans are considering. The Democrats wanted judicial warrants for anyone to enter private property. They wanted
to restrict operations near schools and hospitals. They didn't want masks on ICE agents, and they want agents to wear identification. Those were the demands from the Democrats. Not sure where Republicans are on any of those, but it just was an absolute stalemate. The Republicans were refusing, and then the Democrats said we won't.
Fund and the President game in said I'm going to fund you. And now they've come around and there is a deal and it looks like TSA agents are going to be paid. Now, I guess ropes the Trump situation goes away, I guess what he was planning to do. Fund then will go away, and now the funding will come through correct hopefully. Yes.
Look, it was interesting because a lot of people were questioning how Trump was going to pay for this.
That was a big question. And apparently did you even know about this? There is apparently.
Billions of dollars in the Department of Homeland Security that were provided to the agency based on Trump's tax cut, his twenty five tax bill.
Yeah, make beautiful bill. They put money in there, they had it. Why was it sitting there? Why don't we use it already?
Well, now, I guarantee you I already started to see or hear little little rumblings. This is going to be a big thing. I'm sure Democrats are going to jump on this. If he had access to this money this entire time, if you didn't need an executive or an emergency order to access those funds, why didn't he do this sooner?
Why didn't any of them do it sooner? Let me say that, go after the president if you want to, But this ain't his fault and This ain't his responsibility to actually pay TSA. This is Congress's responsibility. Fine, how in the hell did I just let that come out of my mouth? This ain't on Trump? But yes, this ain't on Trump. But folks, stay here, we do. I want to give an update of what's happening at the airports still today, the latest that we're getting from TSA
about how things are going. Hopefully things will improve soon and we should be able to report back to you about that real soon, because when we turn off this microphone, we're headed to the airport. I continuing here on amy A TJ. All the headlines over the past several weeks robes as they keep showing us the terrible lines TSA lines at airports you turn on the TV. What two airports our most live reporters set.
Up at, well, absolutely Atlanta, yes, and maybe Houston.
Maybe hell yeah, Houston and then.
One of the New York airports.
They'll they'll go between or among LaGuardia, JFK and Newark.
Yes, so we decided we wanted to go through during this time. Yes, we do have a flight. I think if you all been listening, you know we had a trip to Atlanta quick trip, but we will be going back through that airport today flew into It wasn't so bad. We had no issues actually flying on Wednesday. I was fair to say no issue.
It wasn't bad because we actually ended up flying in the middle of the day, which turns out is great in the middle of the week. That's probably your best chance at not having any problems, at least as of late. But funny enough, we have an early morning flight. Normally that's a good thing. In Atlanta, we've seen that's a bad thing. Yesterday we were up at five am watching the local news. The lines for the airport security were already outside on the curb, like completely wrapped around in
double lines. You couldn't even get into the airport door to even get to the security line. You had to start outside.
I actually thought it was b roll from the previous day. I said, there's no ways this early in the lines that bad. I did not believe it was a live picture. So we're going through. We'll report back see how well. Let's you know how that goes. But what's been happening at the airport. They've been giving updates now around five hundred TSA agents have quit during this shutdown, which is up to day forty two. The last one was a full shut down. It was forty three days and that
was history making. That was the longest ever. But this one ends up right behind it. But five hundred agents have quit, they say. But the call out rates have they said, at some airport has been as high as fifty percent. Can you imagine imagine an air imagine any business half of your workforce called out the workforce that is necessary for you to do your jou.
Last line of defense before flying in the skies when we are at a time of massive international conflict that is so disturbing, and so yes, wait times of more than four four and a half hours at some of these airports. ICE agents are at some airports trying to help with the chaos. There hasn't been a lot made of that. I don't know if it's helped. It doesn't
seem like it's hurt. There was concern that there might cause, you know, just some emotional discomfort seeing ICE agents everywhere, But I don't know has there even been an impact.
What if they're helping, but what if they are actually having an impact and not getting credit for it? Right, these are and please folks, please know these are good people. Yes, ICE agents are good law enforcement overwhelmingly good people who are being thrown around here and there and know how to do their jobs. So maybe ropes they're manning a door instead of a TSA agent having to that frees up that TSA agent to go do something else, to
go do screening if maybe it's helping. But we have not seen the type of ish many people thought we might, like the streets of Minneapolis. Are they're gonna come cause chaos hasn't happened.
That is absolutely true.
So at least, hey, there's that's a silver lining that maybe maybe they will come in and look like some an agency that was there to help instead of to hurt. And I think that, unfortunately, has been the way people have viewed them up until now. I thought something else interesting that came out of all of this. The union that represents the government workers so that they want the shut Down Fairness Act to pass.
Did you even know about this?
I wasn't aware of it, but it makes so much sense they want and yes this should pass after these last two shutdowns and government workers dealing with what they've had to deal with. Basically, no politician from either party can hold a public servants paycheck hostage in the middle of a shutdown, and I think that is awesome. That should pass unanimously. After all of this chaos.
TSA agents would not do this again. It should to recruit more TSA agents. You should absolutely make an announcement, pass a bill whatever. TSA agents will not go without paychecks because of government bullshit. I'm in support fully. It's awful what they've done to these folks. It is awful what they've done to them in robes. It's worse because at the end of the day, nobody got anything. What were you fighting for? Democrats? Did you get it?
No?
So what was the point of getting TSA agents this much pain for the sake of what? And now you're motivated because you get to go home for Easter?
You and I wonder why people can't stand politicians dings.
All right, folks, but we'll end on the upside. TSA agents gonna get paid. And yes, if you didn't know, we should remind they all do get that back paid. So they're all gonna get big checks. We don't know if they'll get bonuses. They gave ten thousand dollars bonus but the folks last time, make them twenty, make them fifty. Yeah, fine, knock yourself out.
And I'm just thinking about those poor five hundred workers who had to quit their jobs and try to go find other work because they couldn't tolerate not getting paid again. That is such a massive up ending of your life to have to go do that. I feel for them too, and hopefully if they want their jobs back, they should be ready and waiting for them.
Yeah, that's a good point, all right, folks. We always appreciate you spending some time with us. Wanted to give you that update. It is a significant one. There will be more updates throughout the day. We always appreciate you spending some time with us. But for my dear Amy Robock, I am TJ. Holmes and we will talk to you soon.
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