Tampa International Airport had more delayed flights than usual Monday, but not because of the partial government shutdown.
Tampa International isn’t seeing widespread staffing shortages yet, airport spokesperson Emily Nipps said. Midday traffic was moving smoothly through security checkpoints, she said.
But more than 20% of flights through Tampa were experiencing delays as of Monday afternoon, a slightly higher proportion than normal. The delays are due to factors besides the partial government shutdown, Nipps said.
Here’s what to know about air travel through Tampa and potential effects of the shutdown.
Flights into Florida were affected by the rain Sunday night, which bumped some flights to Monday, Nipps said.
The Federal Aviation Administration is staggering flights coming in and out of Florida from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, causing delays. More flights than usual are headed in and out of the state, affecting most Florida airports, including ones in Tampa, Orlando and Miami.
Federal airport workers haven’t missed a paycheck yet like they did during last year’s roughly six-week government shutdown. Callouts are more likely as a shutdown drags on for weeks, Nipps said.
This shutdown also affects only some agencies under the Department of Homeland Security, not the whole government. Federal Aviation Administration workers, who staff air traffic control towers, won’t be affected. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is also fully funded, so slowdowns are not expected at border checkpoints.
But the nation’s roughly 65,000 TSA staffers will work without pay until the shutdown is resolved.
The second partial government shutdown of the year started on Saturday after Congress failed to pass a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security.
Democrats in Congress were pushing for changes to immigration enforcement after the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last month, but they failed to reach an agreement with Republicans.
Democrats pushed for new use-of-force standards, better identification of immigration enforcement officers and a requirement for judicial warrants before entering private property, among other changes, according to CBS News.
Democrats objected to passing a broader government funding bill in late January, spurring a four-day shutdown. Now Congress appears to be at a stalemate over a bill that would fund Homeland Security alone.
This partial shutdown could last for more than a week. Members of Congress returned to their home districts this week without an agreement.