What's next after House Republicans reject Senate deal to end DHS shutdown

[0:00] Welcome to the NewsHour. It has been a dizzying and dramatic 24 hours in the halls of Congress. [0:06] Early this morning, the Senate unanimously passed a plan to immediately end the shutdown for most [0:12] of the Department of Homeland Security. But within hours, House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected it [0:17] because it didn't include money for ICE and Border Patrol. Now, House Republicans are pursuing a [0:23] different approach and risking a longer shutdown. Meanwhile, President Trump took executive action [0:28] to pay one group, TSA workers at airports. Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins [0:34] is here to help us understand all this, if we can't understand it. TSA workers are really [0:39] ones that this has been focused on a lot. So what happens to them in this? [0:42] Let's start with them. They haven't been paid yet, but as you said, President Trump signed [0:46] that executive order today. He would use money that was passed last year to borrow it from the [0:51] One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The TSA tells us that they expect those workers to be paid by Monday. [0:58] Now, [0:58] of course, all this speaks to those long lines that Americans have been seeing at some airports. [1:03] We do know there's a permanent effect. Some 500 TSA workers have quit the job [1:07] altogether so far. One of our senior producers spoke to TSA union operative, an officer named [1:14] Johnny Jones. He said that they are appreciative, but no one's counting on this money until it [1:19] actually appears in their bank accounts. In addition, Jones told our producer, [1:24] Murray Jacobson, that they were stunned to realize that President Trump could have done this. [1:28] This is the same kind of money he's used to already pay military members of the Coast Guard. [1:33] And one more thing, Jones said they are all tired of being used as what they feel is as pawns. [1:39] You know, we started the day thinking this had been settled, that there was a deal. What happened? [1:43] Okay, let me take you through this. 2.30 in the morning this morning, [1:48] a rainbow suddenly appeared over the United States Senate as it happens. [1:52] Behind the scenes work had led to this deal, and the Senate unanimously agreed on this deal that [1:57] would fund most of D.H.R. and other U.S. troops. And the Senate unanimously agreed on this deal that [1:57] would fund most of D.H.R. and other U.S. troops. And the Senate unanimously agreed on this deal that [1:57] would fund most of D.H.R. and other U.S. troops. And the Senate unanimously agreed on this deal that would fund [1:57] most of D.H.S., three quarters of it, everything but ICE and Border Patrol. [2:03] And at that time, the funding formula that they passed was exactly what Democrats wanted. But [2:07] Democrats did not get any of the reforms that they wanted, [2:11] which is something that Senate Leader Thune stressed. [2:17] The reason that we stand here right now passing a funding bill with a list of reforms [2:20] if Democrats had made the smallest effort to actually reach an agreement. But they didn't, [2:30] because it's now clear to everyone, [2:33] Democrats didn't actually want a solution. [2:37] They wanted an issue. [2:39] Well, that's what he said. The Senate passed that. [2:41] The Senate leaves Washington altogether, convinced everything was fine. [2:45] The House comes in and surprisingly to a lot of people, rejected the deal. [2:50] Surprisingly to the House, to the senators themselves. [2:52] In fact, for House Speaker Mike Johnson, it wasn't a rainbow. [2:56] It was a mirage. He called it a joke. [2:59] The reason that we can't accept this ridiculousness, OK, is because we're not going to risk [3:05] not funding the agencies that keep the American people safe. [3:08] The Department of Homeland Security is the third largest department in the federal government. [3:12] It has 10 agencies beneath it. [3:13] It's not just TSA. [3:14] It's also FEMA, the Coast Guard, all these agencies that keep us safe. [3:18] We must fund them. [3:19] This is not a game. [3:20] LISA DESJARDINS Now, what this is, is more complicated now. [3:24] They want a deal to fund DHS for 60 days, but, of course, now, then the Senate would [3:29] have to approve that. [3:30] And there they need Democratic votes. [3:32] Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer already is defiant. [3:35] He's saying, no, this is dead on arrival over there. [3:39] So what we have right now is both chambers leaving for a two-week spring break, and that's [3:44] why we think this shutdown very likely will just continue. [3:47] JOHN YANG And where has President Trump been in all of this? [3:49] LISA DESJARDINS Right. [3:50] I talked to a senior White House official who told me this quote, that he is trying [3:55] to, quote, let the Hill work this out. [3:57] Now, the president did cast a little bit of shade on the Senate bill, but he basically [4:01] seems to be staying out of it, saying he understands both sides. [4:04] That's a problem. [4:05] And he's not leading here, as we have Senate Republicans being more pragmatic, looking [4:09] for something that can pass, and House Republicans being more righteous, looking for what they [4:14] think is right in all of this. [4:16] That divides also political risk for Republicans. [4:19] They say Democrats started this shutdown, but, really, they're the ones right now who [4:23] can't seem to get on the same page. [4:25] JOHN YANG So where are we now? [4:27] And what's next? [4:28] What can come next? [4:29] LISA DESJARDINS OK, let's see. [4:30] Let's talk about this. [4:31] First of all, DHS is the third largest agency in U.S. government. [4:32] So, you know, we're going to have to wait and see what happens. [4:33] JOHN YANG So where are we now? [4:34] And what's next? [4:35] LISA DESJARDINS So many workers, even with TSA being paid, are going to go again without [4:39] pay. [4:40] They have been with more than a month now without pay. [4:43] So the White House and the Senate heading toward this two-week break means this is a [4:47] shutdown of historic proportions, even though it is just a limited one-to-one agency. [4:52] Here you see all the shutdowns since 1980. [4:55] This is the last year's one there. [4:57] You see the highest one, 43 days, in yellow, the partial shutdowns, the current one, 40 [5:02] days. [5:03] LISA DESJARDINS Now, let's see what happens if we go this two-week break. [5:04] JOHN YANG OK. [5:05] LISA DESJARDINS If we go this two-week recess without any deal, which is where we are right [5:08] now, then we have the longest shutdown in American history. [5:12] Even though it's one agency, it's a very large one. [5:15] So what's next? [5:16] The House is on track to vote tonight on its plan. [5:20] The Senate has left town. [5:22] Usually I like to give viewers a very clear sense of what is next, John, but, to be honest, [5:27] no one knows. [5:28] And what we know for workers, other than TSA and Coast Guard military, for DHS workers, [5:33] many of them just don't know. [5:34] They just don't know where their pay is going to come from or when. [5:37] JOHN YANG Lisa Desjardins, thank you very much. [5:39] LISA DESJARDINS You're welcome. [5:40] JOHN YANG Support journalism you trust. [5:54] Support PBS News. [5:56] Donate now, or even better, start a monthly contribution today.