Sen. Britt to Newsmax: Senate Must Skip Recess, Finish Funding Fight

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., said Thursday on Newsmax that senators should scrap plans to leave Washington for the coming congressional recess unless they first strike a deal to end the Department of Homeland Security funding impasse.

She said lawmakers should remain on Capitol Hill until the job is finished.

"We're not leaving if this doesn't get done," Britt said during an appearance on "National Report." "Lawmakers need to get ready to actually do their job."

Britt, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and chair of its Homeland Security Subcommittee, called the standoff a failure by Democrats and said the burden should fall on Congress, not front-line federal workers.

"We've had 40, 41 days of a Democrat-led shutdown," Britt said. "This is the second one of the fiscal year when you're looking at people who have stepped forward to say, 'Hey, we want to serve our homeland. We want to protect American citizens from coast to coast.'"

"Democrats are finding a way to not pay those individuals," she continued.

"Republicans are saying, 'Let's get this done,'" added Britt. "We want to make sure that TSA is fully funded, Coast Guard is fully funded, CISA [the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency] is fully funded, that we make sure that our Border Patrol agents are ready to protect our border and to take a look at the packages coming in, to do their jobs at our airport."

Britt's comments came as the shutdown entered its 41st day Thursday and pressure mounted on both parties to reach a deal before a scheduled Senate state work period that begins March 30 and runs through April 10.

The funding lapse began Feb. 14 after the Senate failed to move forward on House-passed legislation to fund DHS through September, and the chamber has since repeatedly failed to clear the 60-vote threshold needed to advance a resolution.

The fight has centered on Democrat demands for changes tied to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, including rules involving officer identification, body cameras, training, and enforcement in sensitive locations, while Republicans have pushed to fund most of DHS immediately and leave the most disputed immigration pieces for separate action.

Britt said that with unpaid Transportation Security Administration officers, Coast Guard personnel, and other homeland security workers still reporting for duty, Congress should not leave town for a break.

"We're working diligently to get that done, and we know that that's important to the American people, and so we're committed to making it happen," she said.

"But I hope people get used to staying right here until that happens. We shouldn't be leaving at all," Britt added.

She also backed a proposal by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., to halt congressional pay during shutdowns, saying lawmakers should feel the same financial pain as workers going without checks.

"TSA should never be going without their paycheck while we are getting ours," Britt said.

"If we were to pass his bill, then I can guarantee you people would be much more eager to come to the table," she said.

The shutdown has increasingly disrupted airport operations during the spring travel rush, with TSA's acting leadership warning this week of record wait times, rising callouts, and the loss of more than 480 officers since the funding lapse began.

Britt said that reality should make any recess politically untenable.

"If we can't get in here and do our job, we shouldn't be receiving a paycheck while they're not receiving theirs," she said.

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