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Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, criticized Democrats Tuesday on Fox News, accusing them of holding Transportation Security Administration agents “hostage” after a confrontation over Department of Homeland Security funding.
The Texas Republican called out Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, as the DHS shutdown continues into its second month.
“Congressman Casar was the leader of the defund the police crowd when he was on Austin City Council,” Cornyn said on “America Reports.”
“He has no respect for law enforcement, including the Transportation Security Agency that’s keeping us safe at our airports,” he added.
His comments came after a tense exchange between the two on Monday at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Cornyn was delivering food from the Texas chain Whataburger to TSA staff. Agents missed their first full paycheck earlier in March.
Casar spoke to reporters nearby as Cornyn arrived, and the two had a heated exchange. Casar asked Cornyn to support a bill to fund just TSA, but Cornyn said it’s “not acceptable,” calling on Democrats to support the full DHS funding package.
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Lawmakers have been at a standstill over funding for the Department of Homeland Security since mid-February. Democrats are demanding reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and have refused to vote for an entire spending package. Instead, they’ve proposed a series of carve-outs to fund pieces of DHS.
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But many Republicans, including Cornyn, say it’s not enough. He pointed to the work DHS does in fighting potential terrorism as a reason to end the shutdown.
“This extends beyond just the airports to potential terrorist attacks like the one that occurred in downtown Austin just a couple of weeks ago,” Cornyn said, referencing the March 1 bar attack that left three people dead and more than a dozen injured.
“Not paying these individuals, these TSA agents, is really disgraceful. There’s no excuse for it,” the senator added.
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During the confrontation with Casar, Cornyn argued he had voted to reopen DHS multiple times and blamed congressional Democrats for blocking the funding bill for weeks. Casar countered by proposing that just TSA workers get paid.
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“They want to make a political point, but they want to hold these people hostage,” Cornyn said. “It’s unacceptable.”
The shutdown comes as airport workers prepare for some of the busiest travel days of the season, with students heading out for spring break. It also comes weeks after two Americans were killed in Minneapolis during January incidents involving federal immigration authorities.
Fox News Digital reached out to Casar’s office for comment.
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