Trump Orders Federal Funds for TSA to Try to Solve Pain at Airports

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

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Alex Ossola (0:33)

President Trump takes executive action to pay TSA workers after funding efforts in Congress break down. Plus, countries in the Gulf are bracing for more war. And Wall Street is trading like the worst from the Iran conflict is yet to come.

Imani Moise (0:48)

Really, what's driving stocks down is fear. So the market is digesting a geopolitical shock, a sudden war in Iran that sent oil prices surging. Everyone is bracing.

Alex Ossola (1:00)

It's Friday, March 27th. I'm Alex Ossola for The Wall Street Journal. This is a PM Edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories that move the world today. President Trump has taken action to pay TSA workers by passing a Congress in gridlock. House Republican leaders today rejected a bill that would fund most of the Department of Homeland Security that had already passed in the Senate. As you heard on this morning show, senators just after 2 a.m. approved funding for DHS except for ICE and Border Patrol. House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a press conference today that his party wouldn't be a part of efforts to stop immigration enforcement.

SPEAKER_5 (1:43)

The Republicans are not going to be a party to this. They have taken hostage the funding processes of government so that they can impose their radical agenda on the American people when we can't have any part of it. This gambit that was done last night is a joke.

Alex Ossola (1:57)

While Congress's standoff over immigration enforcement seems likely to continue, Trump's executive action described the situation at the country's airports as a, quote, unprecedented emergency and called for using federal funds to pay TSA workers. DHS says TSA officers will get their paychecks as soon as Monday. And speaking of the House, Republican Representative Sam Graves of Missouri, the chairman of the Transportation Committee, is retiring from Congress. More than 50 House members have said they're leaving when their terms are up, a record for a midterm election year. About half of them are running for a different office.

Today in the Middle East, Iran turned away two Chinese-owned container vessels from crossing the Strait of Hormuz. It was unusual. Iran's blockade has focused on countries it sees as supporters of Israel and the US. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters today that after the fighting ends, it will be a priority to prevent Iran's control over the strait.

Marco Rubio (2:55)

One of the immediate challenges we're going to face is an Iran that may decide that they want to set up a tolling system in the Straits of Hormuz. Not only is this illegal, it's unacceptable, it's dangerous to the world. And it's important that the world have a plan to confront it. The United States is prepared to be a part of that plan. We don't have to lead that plan, but we're happy to be a part of it.

Alex Ossola (3:14)

The journals also learned that Rubio has told G7 counterparts that he expects the war will continue for two to four weeks. US. Central Command said today that more than 300 US troops have been injured after four weeks of war with Iran. The Pentagon is looking at sending up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to give President Trump more military options.

Meanwhile, Israel attacked Iran's weapons facilities, including two nuclear program sites. Elsewhere in the Gulf, the pace of attacks from Iran hasn't stopped completely, but it's slowed. That's made life a bit easier in the United Arab Emirates, where businesses have tried to adjust to disruptions and residents have gotten used to missile attack warnings. But even so, Gulf states are bracing for even more turbulence to come as they push for a conclusive outcome to the war. Yaroslav Trofimov, The Journal's Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, joins me now from Dubai. Yaroslav, what has life in Dubai been like during the conflict?

Yaroslav Trofimov (4:09)

Well, you know, it's really strange because on one hand, you do get these missile attack warnings and drone attacks, but most of the missiles have been successfully intercepted. And so, actually, a lot of people in the UAE are not paying attention to these warnings anymore, which is dangerous because just on Thursday, there was a missile that was intercepted over the city of Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi fell and killed two people there.