Cornyn encouraged by DHS deal talks and TSA pay, discusses Texas Senate GOP runoff battle against Paxton
Sen. John Cornyn said Tuesday he is optimistic about a potential deal to end the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, now the second-longest in history.
In an interview with CBS News Texas on Tuesday afternoon, Cornyn said, "It's encouraging. With the president's approval, we are proceeding to talk to Democrats about funding all of the Department of Homeland Security, except for ICE."
Cornyn signals progress on DHS shutdown deal
Senate Republicans have offered Democrats a bill that would fund all DHS agencies, including TSA and FEMA. A deal would pave the way for TSA officers to receive back pay and resume regular paychecks.
The Department of Homeland Security says 450 TSA employees have quit since the shutdown began Feb. 14. Other officers have called out, leading to long lines at some airports, including Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports in Houston.
Both parties continue to blame each other.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., spoke from the Senate floor Tuesday.
"Republicans can hopefully now come back to the table and get serious about reaching a solution to pay TSA workers ASAP," Schumer said. "We await a written proposal that we will review, because right now the situation in our airports is untenable."
Schumer, Cornyn clash as airport delays grow
Cornyn rejected Schumer's criticism.
"It reminds me of the old story about the kid who kills his parents and then pleads for mercy because he's an orphan. That's Chuck Schumer for you," Cornyn said. "This is something they consciously did, and they've decided they wanted to punish a lot of innocent people for something that was completely unnecessary."
Cornyn said the president's decision to send ICE officers to some airports may have brought Democrats back to the negotiating table, but Schumer criticized the move.
"Wait times in Houston reached six hours at one point over the weekend, and what does Donald Trump do? He sends ICE agents to the airports," Schumer said. "ICE agents don't know the first thing about airport security. They weren't trained to screen travelers."
Earlier in the standoff, the president insisted any deal would hinge on the Senate passing the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and identification to cast a ballot.
Republican senators who met with the president Monday evening indicated he may have backed down from that demand. Cornyn said he still supports the SAVE Act.
"We are going to continue fighting for that," Cornyn said. "We will deal with it either on the floor, using the current procedure, or as part of reconciliation."
New poll shows Paxton leading Cornyn in GOP runoff
Cornyn spoke hours after a new statewide poll from Quantus Insights was released in the Texas GOP Senate runoff against Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The poll of more than 1,218 likely Republican voters shows Paxton leading Cornyn by 7.5 percentage points, 48.8% to 41.3%. Nearly 10% remain undecided ahead of the May 26 runoff.
"I won first place on March 3, and we continue to work very hard to earn the vote of everybody who's going to come back to the polls on May 26," Cornyn said.
Heading into the March 3 primary, Paxton led the RealClearPolitics polling average between Feb. 13 and March 2 by 3.8 percentage points, 39.2% to 35.4%. Rep. Wesley Hunt had 15.8%.
On primary day, Cornyn finished ahead by 1.2 percentage points, 41.9% to 40.7%. Hunt received 13.5%.
Nearly 58% of Quantus respondents who supported Hunt said they now back Paxton.
"I assume the people who supported Wesley Hunt could not abide by a corrupt public figure like Ken Paxton," Cornyn said. "We're continuing to reach out to Congressman Hunt and his supporters."
Hunt has not endorsed a candidate in the runoff. CBS News Texas reached out to his spokesman but did not receive a response.
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