Senate votes to pay TSA workers, but when will airport lines ease?

[0:00] The breakthrough that could bring an end to the chaos at America's airports and, importantly, [0:05] finally bring paychecks to CSA officers who've been working without pay since the start of this [0:10] shutdown, of course. The Senate, in a rare overnight session, unanimously moving to fund [0:14] most of the Department of Homeland Security, most, so that doesn't include funding for ICE [0:19] enforcement and parts of Customs and Border Protection. This, of course, after a standoff [0:23] of more than 40 days. Republicans are expected to try to push that funding through for ICE at [0:28] a later date. The bill itself now making its way to the House where the race is on to pass [0:32] something before Congress leaves for its two-week recess. That's set to happen today. President [0:37] Trump on Thursday had said he would order DHS to pay TSA officers. It's still not clear, though, [0:43] when that might happen. All of this, though, if it could be resolved, of course, could potentially [0:49] shorten those massive lines we've been following at some airports around the country. At Houston's [0:53] George Bush Intercontinental Airport, the wait time's there more than four hours before 5 a.m. [0:58] local time this morning. We've got our team covering this from the airports to the nation's [1:02] Capitol this morning. I want to begin there on Capitol Hill with CNN's Annie Greer. So in terms [1:07] of this bill now, the big question is what and when does something happen in the House? And it [1:12] could be an uphill battle, Annie. It absolutely could be an uphill battle. We are waiting to see [1:20] if House Republican leadership will schedule a vote on this Senate DHS deal today. We know that [1:26] House Republican leaders and House Democratic leaders are having lots of conversations and [1:31] meetings behind the scenes trying to gauge where their members are at because House Speaker Mike [1:36] Johnson has a tough sell to his members to make. He has to convince conservatives to support this [1:42] deal, which, as you mentioned, doesn't include any funding for ICE. And conservatives had wanted [1:47] any funding for the Department of Homeland Security to also attach Trump's voter ID bill [1:52] attached to it. Now, that is not something that ended up happening in the Senate. So will Johnson [1:56] be able to convince his Republicans to get on board or is he going to have to rely on House [2:01] Democrats? I talked to one moderate House Democrat this morning who was giving positive signs that [2:06] this is a deal that they think that many members could get behind. But it is a larger question of [2:11] will Democrats support this? Because Democrats and Republicans have been going back and forth [2:15] for 41 days on these negotiations. And I think both sides are asking, what did they get out of [2:21] this? Democrats did not get any meaningful reforms to ICE, which they've been pushing for. [2:26] Republicans didn't get more money for ICE, which they had been pushing for. [2:31] But Republicans have money that they'd already provided to ICE in a Republican-only bill and they want to pursue another [2:38] Republican-only bill where they could add more money to ICE. So Senate Majority Leader John Thune argues that the [2:44] Democrats actually lost their ability to negotiate here because Republicans can move forward with more funding for ICE [2:50] without them. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, though, is proud of how his Senate Democrats stuck [2:54] together in this process. As we've seen in other funding battles, some moderate Senate Democrats have broken off from [3:00] the rest of the party. That's why they're not going to get any more money for ICE. So they're going to have to get more money for ICE. [3:01] Aythat Al-StCommash said the House is full of controversies if it's not egg год is that only way to get airport lines [3:08] all coming in. All eyes are going to be on the House. This was a deal that the Senate ultimately [3:14] passed that many Democrats had been pushing for days. So it would seem like Democrats would be quick to get on board. [3:21] The question is going to be will Republicans join in. And that is going to be the question that we're following today of cause, as you mentioned [3:29] President Trump having also his emergency powers funding for TSA agents. The big question when will TSA agents get paid, when will the airport lines get shorter. That is what the question is. [3:30] Voice over [3:31] is today. Yeah, absolutely. And we are seeing, I'm just looking over my shoulder, we're seeing [3:36] some live pictures from the House floor as we continue to monitor that. Annie, I know you'll [3:41] keep us up to speed. We also want to check in on the airports. Pete Muntean is at Baltimore [3:45] Washington International Airport. So Pete, how are things looking there this morning? [3:51] That pledge by President Trump to sign an executive order to pay TSA agents and that [3:57] Senate bill, really too little too late for probably the thousands of people who are in [4:03] line here at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport. In fact, this line is so big, you can't really [4:09] believe it. You can't even photograph it. This is the security C checkpoint here at BWI. This [4:16] is only the start. People who get to this point in line have been waiting about two hours. But [4:21] look over here. This is the line continued. This line actually goes down the frontage of the [4:28] terminal here, under this observation area, into the frontage of the terminal here, and then [4:33] goes down the frontage of the terminal here, under this observation area, into the frontage of the [4:33] terminal here, under this observation area, into the frontage of the terminal here, and then [4:34] the food court loops around, comes back out here. The beginning of the line is out here. It goes [4:40] from inside to outside. This is the line outside at the airport. We can't even walk the line, the [4:48] entirety of it, because it's so long. Spoke to a federal agent here who's down from his office in [4:54] the airport, volunteering to help keep things moving here. He tells me the line right now here [5:01] at BWI, between three hours and a half, and then it's down the frontage of the terminal here, [5:03] between three hours and a half, and then it's down the frontage of the terminal here, the [5:05] edge is down, and then it's going to go to down then two hours and a half. [5:08] It's been going down the frontage a full hour and chapter here. Three minutes and ten minutes to [5:13] three hours and 40 minutes. [5:16] Totally incredible. The airport says today is their busiest day, year to date, in [5:20] terms of passenger value. Jonathan Dean here at BWI tells me 31,000 passengers expected. [5:27] Yesterday it was 30,000 Sep 14 At least three hours early to get [5:32] through the checkpoint. Just look at this one more time, I mean [5:33] It is huge. [5:35] And the other thing that's happening here, you have to consider the fact that Anne Arundel County Public Schools, [5:39] we're in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, spring break officially begins on Monday. [5:44] So a lot of people are trying to leave town. [5:47] Spoke with Southwest Airlines. [5:49] This airport is the busiest in the region when it comes to flights. [5:53] Southwest Airlines makes up about 70% of the market share. [5:56] Here, airline says they're trying to do their best to get people rebooked on different flights [6:00] if they can't make it through this line and to their gate. [6:04] Some of the checkpoints here are closed. [6:05] A is closed. [6:06] B is partially open. [6:08] C, the one that we're looking for the line for, that's the one that's the most open. [6:13] That's the one that has the longest line. [6:15] If you were coming to BWI, where there's about 30% call-out rates here for TSA agents, get here so, so early. [6:23] Wow, you point out the spring break. [6:24] A lot of families we saw in line there behind you. [6:26] We also saw some people smiling. [6:27] So doing their best to remain positive, maybe making some friends with everybody else there in line for them [6:32] for the wait of 310 to 340. [6:35] Pete, appreciate it. [6:35] Thank you. [6:36] Ryan Young is at Hartfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. [6:40] You know, the folks that I know you've been talking to, Ryan, for a long, long time, [6:44] they're coming up to you because they're so used to seeing you at the airport. [6:48] They want this resolved. [6:49] They are tired of the infighting. [6:54] Yeah, well, guess what? [6:55] The airport is sprinkled a little bit of that ATL magic all over this. [6:58] And at the point... [6:59] We've seen the rush hour sort of drop off in the last half hour or so. [7:02] But before we start walking, I want to show you something. [7:05] If you look right here, you can see some of those ICE agents who've taken up seats here [7:10] who are now checking in IDs. [7:12] There are more of them today checking IDs than were checking IDs yesterday. [7:16] We're seeing the lines get a lot shorter here. [7:19] That initial rush hour is going. [7:21] Talk about people yelling things in our direction. [7:24] We just had a guy say, hey, I'm so glad that Delta stopped the special. [7:28] But now, when you look at all of the clifflages for Congress, [7:31] they really want to see them sort of pay the price for all this and people standing in lines. [7:35] But this is the main checkpoint. [7:37] So if you look right here, you can see the drop off this morning. [7:41] That TSA PreCheck line outside the building again. [7:44] That still remains very long. [7:46] But the main checkpoint and the North Checkpoint, we're seeing a lot shorter lines. [7:50] But take a listen to travelers this morning who were fired up. [7:55] So how long have you been away to the lines this morning? [7:57] We got here at 6.30. [7:59] Okay. [8:00] Flight is at 11.30. [8:01] Okay. [8:02] What do you think about the idea that you got here like four hours before your flight? [8:05] Did you ever think you'd see this? [8:07] Never. [8:08] Never. [8:09] And I've flown a lot. [8:10] I'm on passport number five. [8:11] You ever think the line was going to be this long when you got here? [8:13] Oh yeah. [8:14] I'd already checked Instagram. [8:15] Like I already knew how long the lines were. [8:16] Normally I get to the airport at 20 minutes before my flight. [8:20] This time, three hours. [8:21] If you had a chance to talk to Congress and tell them, what would you say? [8:26] Let's just get everything together. [8:28] Let's work together. [8:29] Honestly, like let's work together. [8:31] Yeah. [8:35] You really felt the pain from people again. [8:37] As people have been walking by, they've been voicing their frustration. [8:40] They can't believe they have to arrive to the airport so early. [8:43] We've been telling people also, if you arrive four hours before your flight, you can't check [8:46] your baggage. [8:47] That's something you should know. [8:49] Also if you arrive to the airport, make sure you check all the lanes, no matter what airport [8:53] you're at, because some of the lines are shorter throughout the day. [8:55] Security still remains high here, but Sarah and Erica, there was something that happened [8:59] last week that a lot of people have been bringing up to us. [9:02] I want to play the sound bite from a woman. [9:04] A lot of people believe that she really summed up what she wanted to see, not only at this [9:08] airport, but across the country. [9:10] Take a listen. [9:12] I've been in this wheelchair. [9:13] They going to tell me to go stand up in line. [9:15] I have MS. [9:16] How you going to expect me to stand up and push my own self in a wheelchair? [9:20] Atlanta got to do better. [9:21] I had to pay a stranger a hundred dollars to push me and get me through the TSA line. [9:27] Do better. [9:28] Trump fix it. [9:29] Yeah. [9:33] That Trump fix it really went very far. [9:35] People have been talking about that nonstop as we flip around here. [9:37] This is part of what we saw. [9:39] We saw these agents arriving here, doing their patrols, walking into a lot of the folks here [9:44] are veteran ice agents. [9:46] And then also you have Atlanta PD here as well. [9:48] So this still remains a good situation because the security lines have dropped. [9:51] Of course, we'll continue to watch it. [9:53] Yes. [9:54] Yeah, absolutely. [9:55] Right. [9:56] Appreciate it. [9:57] By the way, Ryan, that woman also struck a chord with my mother who mentioned it to me, [10:00] specifically that woman that you had spoken to. [10:01] So she is certainly getting a lot of attention. [10:04] She is being heard. [10:05] Absolutely. [10:06] Thank you. [10:07] Bye.