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Long lines and delays at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport have become a flashpoint in the competitive United States Senate race in Georgia.<\/p>\n
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) faced immediate criticism from Republican primary candidates in his state for voting against funding the Department of Homeland Security, which has resulted in TSA agents and other essential DHS personnel working without pay. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the lone Democrat who voted to fund the DHS.<\/p>\n
\u201cJon Ossoff and Democrats caused this to protect illegal aliens. That\u2019s it,\u201d Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) posted to X in response to a video<\/a> showing the lines. The airport had informed travelers to arrive four hours early for their flights on Monday.<\/p>\n Former NCAA football coach and Republican Senate hopeful Derek Dooley pointed out the contrast between Fetterman and Ossoff on the shutdown in a video he posted from the airport on Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s ridiculous. That\u2019s exactly why we need new leadership in D.C. This is nothing about the people. We need leaders who are gonna put their people first,\u201d Dooley<\/a> said.<\/p>\n \u201cJust a bunch of politics. Come on, Ossoff. Fetterman agrees. He\u2019s not for this. He\u2019s a Democrat. And listen, where\u2019s the rest of Congress?\u201d he said, calling for a solution to resolve the shutdown, which started over disagreements about federal immigration enforcement policies.<\/p>\n Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) dubbed it the \u201cSchumer-Ossoff Shutdown\u201d in one post<\/a>, and plainly stated in another post<\/a> that the six-hour lines at TSA in Atlanta are \u201cbecause Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff voted to SHUT DOWN the Department of Homeland Security.\u201d<\/p>\n As negotiations continue in Washington, Senate Democrats have argued that Republicans are not interested in funding TSA. Republicans voted against a move by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to fund federal airport employees, though it would leave out other agencies within DHS.<\/p>\n \u201cDonald Trump\u2019s obstruction is denying TSA workers pay and creating havoc at airports. While negotiations continue over ICE, there is no reason TSA should be held hostage. Republicans must stop blocking TSA funding immediately,\u201d Ossoff said in a statement<\/a> on March 21.<\/p>\n When his campaign was contacted by The Daily Wire for comment on the Republican criticism, they deferred to a comment from the Democratic Party of Georgia.<\/p>\n \u201cSenate Democrats have called for funding TSA for weeks, and Republicans have blocked it every step of the way because they are taking orders from Donald Trump,\u201d DPG Chair Charlie Bailey said in a statement. \u201cWe could pay TSA agents and end the chaos at airports across the country if Republicans like Buddy Carter, Mike Collins, and Derek Dooley told their Party to quit standing in the way and get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n A 2017 Mother Jones<\/a> story noted that Ossoff has had a pilot\u2019s license since he was a teen, and described his plans at the time to rent a Cessna plane for a short hiking trip in the Appalachian Mountains with his friends. The Washington Free Beacon<\/a> reported in 2020 that Ossoff\u2019s businessman father bought a private plane in 2014.<\/p>\n As for the Republicans in the race, President Donald Trump has yet to make an endorsement ahead of May 19. Whoever wins the race will be in one of the most competitive elections in the country in 2026. Ossoff is the only incumbent Democrat in a \u201ctoss-up\u201d race, according to the Cook Political Report<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cJon Ossoff cares more about protecting illegals like Laken Riley\u2019s killer than standing with hardworking Georgians,\u201d National Republican Senatorial Committee Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia stated. \u201cOssoff never refuses a chance to use Georgians as political pawns. Ossoff must stop putting illegals first and end his DHS shutdown.\u201d<\/p>\n ICE agents were sent to assist at airports across the nation on Monday, including Hartsfield-Jackson, as hundreds of TSA agents have called out or quit. The Atlanta airport alone had a callout rate of 41.5% on Sunday, according to CBS News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n