By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) – Senators from both parties failed on Thursday in competing efforts to fund the U.S. Transportation Security Administration as concerns about long airport security lines disrupting flights rise and Republicans and Democrats point fingers at each other.
The Senate on Thursday failed to get the 60-vote supermajority needed to advance a Republican proposal to fund the entire Homeland Security Department, after Republican Senator Bernie Moreno objected to an earlier Democratic proposal to separately fund the TSA.
Moreno separately proposed a two-week DHS funding extension, but Democrats blocked that. The Senate then adjourned until Monday.
Absences by TSA airport officers have already disrupted travel at some major airports over the last week, raising alarm among airlines as the busy spring break travel season nears.
TSA officials are worried about increasing strain on workers who on Friday will miss their first full paycheck. TSA said this week more than 300 officers of the 50,000 working at U.S. airports have quit since the shutdown began.
Some airports are working to raise money to help TSA workers buy food or other essentials as they go without pay.
The Republicans and Democrats are blaming each other for the standoff. Democrats said Republicans were taking hostages, while Republicans said Democrats were grandstanding and failing to fund all of DHS.
The department’s funding lapsed on February 13 after Congress failed to reach a deal on immigration enforcement reforms demanded by Democrats.
Airlines are expecting a record-breaking spring travel period, with 171 million passengers expected to fly, up 4% over the same two-month period last year.
Philadelphia Airport said on Thursday it was closing a terminal checkpoint because of TSA staffing issues. Earlier this week, some airports like Houston Hobby and New Orleans reported security lines exceeding two hours as TSA absences rose.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Jamie Freed)
