Trump ties DHS funding deal to approval of voter bill
Trump said in a post on social media that Republicans in Congress should not make “any deal” with Democrats until they agree to pass the voter legislation known as the Save America Act. Trump noted demands from Democratic lawmakers over a disagreement over funding that has left DHS unfunded since Feb. 13.
The lack of funds meant tens of thousands of Transportation Security Administration staff worked without pay for five weeks, prompting some airport security workers to call in sick or leave the job altogether. TSA absences this weekend reached their highest level since the partial government shutdown, DHS said Sunday.
Trump wrote that passing the voter bill is “far more important than anything else” on the Senate’s agenda, including DHS funding.
The president had threatened on March 8 that he would not sign any further legislation until Congress passed the Republican-backed ballot measure.
The bill currently lacks the 60 votes needed to overcome Democratic opposition in the 100-member Senate, where Republicans hold 53 seats.
On Sunday, Trump also pushed for Democratic approval of other items he wants added to the bill, including banning transgender women from women’s sports, banning “transgender mutilation of our children” and restricting mail-in voting except in cases of illness, disability, military service or travel. Republicans have resisted demands from Democratic lawmakers to reform Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a condition of DHS funding.
In an effort to increase pressure on Democrats, Trump this weekend said he would station ICE agents at airports until Democratic lawmakers pass the DHS budget bill. Trump said Sunday he would deploy ICE personnel at airports “as long as it takes,” according to NewsNation.
Proponents of the Save America Act argued it would help deter voter fraud. Republicans repeated Trump’s baseless claims that large numbers of people in the country voted illegally in the US election.
Democrats and critics of the bill argued that the law could disenfranchise Americans who cannot easily access passports, birth certificates and other identification documents.
