Attorney Adam Smith calls TSA criticism from former DOT chief ‘stupid comments’
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Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., backed out of the debate Monday after former Transportation Department inspector general Mary Schiavo criticized Congress over a funding battle involving the Transportation Security Administration, calling her remarks “stupid comments.”
Earlier in the program, Schiavo chastised lawmakers for using TSA funding to fight broad government spending.
“My message to Congress is you don’t remember why we have the TSA and why they should be paid and why it’s completely useless to use them as a political football,” Schiavo said. “Call 911 and get yourself checked out at the hospital because you have total amnesia. It makes no sense.”
The comments come as Washington remains locked in a dispute over federal spending legislation, with lawmakers debating funding levels for agencies including the TSA, the US Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Smith responded to Schiavo’s earlier comments while defending the Democratic Party’s position on funding priorities.
AIRLINE CEOS THINK LEGISLATION IS TURNING AIR TRAVEL INTO A ‘POLITICAL FALL’
Travelers wait in line at a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas, US, Monday, March 9, 2026. (Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“That kind of stupid wording doesn’t help,” Smith said. “We know how important it is. I’m heading to the airport as soon as I finish my interview.”
Smith said lawmakers are largely supportive of basic safety nets but said disagreements remain over the immigration funding that accompanies the spending bill.
“Democrats and Republicans both want to fund the TSA for some time and the Coast Guard and FEMA and everything else,” Smith said. “What we don’t want to fund is ICE.”
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Smith said lawmakers are largely supportive of basic safety nets but said disagreements remain over the immigration funding that accompanies the spending bill. (Fox News Digital)
Smith also said that immigration enforcement policies have led to harassment of Democrats who want to be discussed during the funding negotiations.
“The idea that somehow that’s a small thing — ICE actually killed two people in Minnesota,” Smith said. “Americans’ civil rights are being violated across the country.”
Smith added that Democrats have offered to fund security and disaster relief agencies while excluding funding for immigration enforcement.
“There’s a simple solution: fund everything except ICE,” Smith said. “We’ve had it on the table for three or four weeks now.”
AIRPORTS SET TSA OFFICERS DONATION DRIVERS THAT CAN BE PAID DURING DHS SPONSORSHIP
Airline passengers go through security lines at Reagan Airport in Washington, DC. (Ashley J. DiMella/Fox News Digital)
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Tensions in Congress continue to grow as lawmakers continue to debate funding legislation while trading off which party is responsible for the tensions.
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