Border czar Tom Homan rips Congress for paid vacation as TSA agents struggle without pay

White House border czar Tom Homan said it was ridiculous that TSA officers were struggling to pay rent and feed their families while D.C. lawmakers remained deadlocked over Department of Homeland Security funding on "State of the Union," Sunday.

"These TSA officers are struggling. They can't feed their families or pay their rent," Homan told Jake Tapper. "Your heart goes out to them because they're sitting there right now working very hard and not being paid by members of Congress [who are] now on vacation, getting paid. It's ridiculous."

Homan made the remarks as the funding fight over DHS stretched into a sixth week, disrupting airport operations and leaving TSA officers and other Homeland Security personnel without pay.

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"Well, as soon as Congress opens up the government and funds the Department of Homeland Security, that's what needs to happen," Homan said. "But yeah, I talked to Secretary Markwayne Mullin yesterday. There is a plan to get these TSA agents pay. Hopefully by tomorrow, Tuesday."

Homan made clear, however, that he sees the TSA pay issue as only part of the problem. He argued that other DHS personnel are still going without pay even if TSA officers begin receiving checks.

"Paying TSA agents doesn't pay the rest of the Department of Homeland Security," Homan said. "You got the Coast Guard, you got the men and women [of the] Secret Service, you got a lot of people working for Homeland Security [who] aren't getting paid."

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Tapper also asked Homan if President Donald Trump could have paid agents the whole time, "Why only start doing it now?" 

"Look, I don't understand," Homan said. "I'm a cop. I don't understand the whole appropriations language, appropriations law. I'm just glad that President Trump is able to pay the TSA agents. At least that's a start."

Homan also said the administration is still relying on ICE agents at airports to help with security and staffing pressures. Tapper noted that ICE agents had been sent into airports a week earlier, while long lines remained a problem.

"We'll see," Homan said when asked whether ICE agents would leave airports once TSA officers start getting paid. "It depends on how many TSA agents come back to work, how many TSA agents have actually quit and have no plan of coming back to work."

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Homan mentioned that ICE officers are helping with identification checks, exit-lane coverage and other support duties that allow TSA personnel to focus on screening operations.

"They're checking identification before you go to screening," Homan said. "We're plugging other security holes. We want to keep the airport safe."

Homan argued that ICE's presence has produced some measurable results, even as critics questioned whether the deployment could meaningfully solve the staffing crunch.

"The wait lines have decreased," Homan said. "I was in Houston, wait lines decreased about half. We got additional agents going to Baltimore yesterday to bring those lines down."

Trump signed a memorandum Friday directing DHS to begin paying TSA employees, and administration officials said workers could begin receiving pay as soon as Monday or Tuesday.