'Thank Trump and his buddies': Harry Sisson blames GOP lawmakers for chaos at airports

As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown nears the 40-day mark, airports across the country are facing chaotic scenes due to the massive spike in TSA officers calling in sick or resigning. Employees have been working without pay since mid-February after Congressional Democrats and the White House reached a stalemate over DHS funding, with Democrats refusing to approve a budget until the administration agrees to specific reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

However, despite blocking DHS funding, Democrats have proposed bills to fund certain agencies, including the TSA, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Republicans, meanwhile, have rejected all proposals to partially fund the department. Reacting to the GOP position, liberal political commentator Harry Sisson held them "100% responsible" for the chaos at airports right now. "Democrats have tried 9 TIMES to fund TSA during this shutdown and Republicans have blocked it every single time. Missed your flight? Thank Trump and his buddies," Sisson wrote in a post on X. 

Meanwhile, in a controversial move, President Donald Trump has ordered ICE officers to be deployed at airport checkpoints starting Monday. In a Truth Social post, Trump announced that he will be deploying ICE agents to airports "where they will do security like no one has ever seen before, including the immediate arrest of illegal immigrants who have come into our country." In a later post, the President said that the ICE agents, led by his "border tsar" Tom Homan, "will do a fantastic job." "On Monday, ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA Agents who have stayed on the job despite the fact that the Radical Left Democrats, who are only focused on protecting hard-line criminals who have entered our Country illegally," Trump wrote.

Republicans, including Vice President J.D. Vance, have praised President Trump's decision and criticized the Democrats for "holding TSA funding hostage." "Thankfully, ICE will bring sanity to our airports starting tomorrow, but it's far past time for Democrats to fund DHS," Vance wrote in a post on X. However, Democrats continue to blame GOP lawmakers for refusing to fund the TSA and have raised concerns about ICE's deployment. "Instead of sending ICE agents to harass travelers at airports, why don't Republicans get their act together and agree to pay TSA workers like we've asked them to SEVEN TIMES now?" Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X.