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Travelers pass through the Terminal B security checkpoint at Sacramento International Airport on July 8, 2025.<\/p>\n
Ethan Wolin<\/p>\n
ewolin@sacbee.com<\/p>\n
Spring break travelers should plan to arrive earlier than usual to the Sacramento International Airport, officials said, due to the peak travel period coinciding with the partial government shutdown.<\/p>\n
Absences for Transportation Security Administration workers are being noted at airports across the country as the shutdown, which has cut off pay to the employees, reached its 25th day Tuesday. Sacramento is no exception.<\/p>\n
TSA employees have been calling off work more than usual within the past week at Sacramento\u2019s airport, said James Mudrock, a TSA worker of about 21 years. Mudrock is also the Northern California Vice President for the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1260, which represents transportation security officers in California, Nevada and Arizona.<\/p>\n
Mudrock would not discuss absence numbers, saying he did not want people with a \u201cnegative interest\u201d to know specifics. He said that TSA workers are under a higher level of stress due to heightened security concerns over President Donald Trump\u2019s war in Iran, on top of working through the peak spring break travel period.<\/p>\n
Travelers should arrive at Sacramento International Airport three hours before their flights \u2014 one hour more than is usually recommended \u2014 due to the possible ongoing absences and the heightened amount of travel that occurs between March 5 and 15, airport spokesperson Scott Johnston said. Anyone with planned flights is also encouraged to check with their airline and look at the MyTSA app<\/a>, which can provide general information such as standard security line wait times and if pre-check is available.<\/p>\n Mudrock, who is based in Sacramento, said he has seen some longer wait times but nothing in comparison to larger spots, such as Houston and New Orleans, where travelers had to wait hours in security lines.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still in the early stages of the shutdown, relatively,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the longer this goes on, I can\u2019t imagine it\u2019s going to get any better.\u201d<\/p>\n TSA officers have been operating without pay since mid-February, when funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapsed<\/a> after Congress couldn\u2019t reach an agreement regarding immigration enforcement reforms. The debate continues along partisan lines with no end in sight.<\/p>\n TSA employees received a partial paycheck on Feb. 28 for work completed leading up to the partial shutdown. They will miss their first full paycheck on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cThat (Feb. 28) paycheck came on time,\u201d Mudrock said. \u201cBut they have no idea when the next when they\u2019re going to see their next one.\u201d<\/p>\n Mudrock said TSA employees nationwide are struggling due to the loss of wages, with some not being able to afford gas to drive to work or purchase groceries for their families.<\/p>\n This shutdown, the third to take place within half a year, is different in that workers do not have indictions of when it may end, Mudrock said. The first shutdown took place in October 2025 and lasted 43 days \u2014 the longest in U.S. history. A partial shutdown occurred for four days in early February.<\/p>\n \u201cIn previous ones, we had some idea of how negotiations were going (…) There was some light at the end of the tunnel, even if it seemed far away at times,\u201d he said. \u201cRight now, our people have no idea how long this is going to last.\u201d<\/p>\n As of Tuesday, workers are just trying to do their jobs one passenger and one piece of luggage at a time, Mudrock said.<\/p>\n Mudrock encouraged travelers to show up earlier, expect longer wait times and be patient with TSA workers.<\/p>\n The local TSA office did not immediately respond to a request to comment.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n
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