Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) got into a heated exchange with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) on Monday outside an airport in Austin, where the two traded blame for a partial government shutdown that has left Transportation Security Administration agents without a paycheck.
As Cornyn was delivering food to TSA workers at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Casar, the chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, crashed the event to confront Cornyn, who is campaigning for another term in the Senate, as he got out of a vehicle.
“Why don’t you tell your Democrats to vote to pay these poor people?” Cornyn told Casar, according to a video posted by the Texas Tribune.
“Instead of bringing people burgers, he should bring them their paychecks, which involves funding TSA — he’s refused to fund TSA, so he’s bringing burgers,” Casar responded as he turned to reporters.
TSA, which provides security at the nation’s airports, is one of several agencies under the Department of Homeland Security, which has been shuttered for a month due to a partisan dispute over immigration enforcement.
Since the shutdown started on Feb. 14, TSA employees have not been paid, leading hundreds to call in sick or quit. As a result, passengers at airports across the country have had to endure lengthy wait times at security checkpoints.
Senate Republicans have voted repeatedly to advance a House-passed bill that would fund DHS, but Democrats are refusing to support the legislation unless the White House gives further concessions to rein in the aggressive tactics used by federal immigration agents.
Instead, Democrats are proposing that all of DHS be funded except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a stance that Republicans have rejected.
Cornyn called it “unacceptable” to fund just the TSA in his exchange with Casar, citing terrorism threats if the agency as a whole continues to go unfunded. On Capitol Hill, Democrats plan to introduce a measure on Wednesday that would force a vote to fund every agency except ICE, but the petition can proceed only with bipartisan support.
The spat comes a day after airlines wrote to lawmakers asking them to stop treating air travel like a “political football.” The airport in Austin had been advising travelers to arrive two and a half hours before their flights last weekend amid long lines.
Here’s a look at the outside portion of the TSA general line. Not as long as it was an hour ago, but still long.
We continue to recommend arriving 2 1/2 hours before your domestic flight. pic.twitter.com/E5ejvVZRjm
— Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (@AustinAirport) March 16, 2026
CAMPAIGNS REACH FOR INFLUENCER MEGAPHONES FOR ‘ORGANIC’ MEDIA STRATEGY
Speaking to reporters, Casar accused Cornyn of “trying to out-Paxton Ken Paxton,” referring to the primary competitor Cornyn will face in his May 26 runoff. This past week, Cornyn announced he would be willing to eliminate the 60-vote filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act, one of President Donald Trump’s top legislative priorities.
The back-and-forth continued online, with Cornyn posting on X that Casar brought TSA agents “nothing but excuses for denying TSA agents their paycheck, at a time of heightened security risks.”