The head of the TSA said it was a 'good decision' to not provide healthcare to part-time employees
- David Pekoske, the head of the Transportation Safety Administration, defended the agency's decision not to provide healthcare benefits to part-time employees in a congressional hearing about the widespread coronavirus outbreak.
- He told the House Homeland Security subcommittee that it "was a good decision" to stop providing healthcare to part-time employees, according to CNN.
- Meanwhile, three TSA officers in San Jose, California, have tested positive for COVID-19, and dozens of others who came in contact with them have been quarantined.
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Transportation Safety Administration chief David Pekoske said the agency's policy to not offer healthcare benefits to part-time employees was a "good decision" as he spoke at a congressional hearing about the widespread novel coronavirus outbreak.
The TSA used to offer healthcare to part-time employees, but the policy is no longer available, Pekoske told a House Homeland Security subcommittee, according to CNN.
"I have no intention of restoring health care coverage for part-time workers. I think that was a good decision," Pekoske said. "We will certainly take care of our employees to the best of our ability and we provide robust guidance to our entire workforce with respect to how they prevent the disease in the first place."
It is not immediately clear how many TSA employees are part-time employees. The agency didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Pekoske said the TSA followed a practice used by other government agencies when making the decision not to provide healthcare to part-time employees.
He said that it's "consistent with practice throughout government and also in the private sector that if you're a part-time employee, you are not eligible for full-time health care benefits," adding that Congress did not supply such funds.
Three TSA officers at the San Jose, California, airport have tested positive for COVID-19, and "under 100" other officers have been put on leave after coming in contact with those who were infected, Pekoske said. The officers on leave will be paid during their 14-day isolation periods.
The TSA cases are among more than 1,000 positive coronavirus cases across the United States.
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