In two days, unless a deal is made, Transportation Security Administration employees will miss their second full paycheck as Congress fights over funding to the Department of Homeland Security.
Many travelers are fed up with the feud, which has fueled hours-long security lines at airports all over the country, including New York City-area hubs.
What You Need To Know
In two days, unless a deal is made, TSA employees will miss their second full paycheck as Congress fights over funding to the Department of Homeland Security
John F. Kennedy International Airport has consistently remained in the top five airports with the most TSA agents not showing up for work
Many commercial and cargo airlines have already sent a joint letter to Congress urging them to fully fund TSA
According to the DHS on Monday, the average TSA call-out rate at airports across the nation was just under 11%.
John F. Kennedy International Airport has consistently remained in the top five airports with the most TSA agents not showing up for work. That trend continued Monday, with more than 33% of TSA officers calling out.
LaGuardia Airport dealt with missing more than 20% of its TSA employees.
“I think it’s horrible [how] they treat employees that have such an important job of getting people where they need to go,” air traveler Madeline Luther said Wednesday. “It’s not just travel for leisure. It’s for businesses, small business. It hits the economy really hard.”
“And the fact that nobody is doing anything about it,” Luther added. “Not even the representatives are saying, well, let’s do something different to stop it, because it’s not the first time.”
TSA employees also went unpaid during last fall’s record-long government shutdown. As for when the partial shutdown will end, that remains unclear.
There seemed to be a breakthrough in talks late Monday night, but it all fizzled Tuesday as Democrats rejected an offer from Republicans that they said did not address any reforms to immigration enforcement.
Travel rights lawyer Kim Kirkely shared tips for air travelers waiting on long security lines.
“Every airline has a website with a live chat agent that you can connect to maybe while you are standing on that line trying to get that next flight,” Kirkely said. “And that live chat agent has a lot more options and flexibility than that overwhelmed human at the desk.”
Many commercial and cargo airlines have already sent a joint letter to Congress urging them to fully fund TSA.
Delta also announced that it has suspended all special services to congressional members until the agency is fully funded.