TSA Administrator Warns Airports Could Close Due To Call Outs
The now month-long shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has most impacted everyday Americans at the airport, where TSA lines have gotten longer and longer in recent weeks. As TSA agents continue to call out from work, a TSA official is warning that airports may have to close if the call-outs continue to increase.
“If the call rate does climb, there could be scenarios where we may have to shut down airports,” Acting TSA Administrator Adam Stahl told CBS News. “This is a serious situation.”
Before the DHS shutdown, the TSA callout rate averaged around 2%. In recent weeks, that number has climbed dramatically, with the callout rate reaching 10% nationwide on Monday. That number has increased at individual airports, with the Atlanta International Airport reporting a 37% callout rate on Monday, and Houston’s Hobby Airport reporting a 55% callout rate on Saturday.
While TSA agents were receiving partial paychecks throughout the shutdown, last Friday marked the first entirely missed paycheck for TSA agents. This has led to TSA agents calling out to work other jobs, or simply making the choice not to burn gas for a job that isn’t currently paying them. With gas and grocery prices continuing to rise as a result of the war in Iran, it’s hard to blame TSA agents for calling out of a job that’s not paying them. TSA workers are already among the lowest-paid federal workers, so any disruption in pay is deeply felt.
“Our people are hurting,” Stahl told CBS News. “We have individuals sleeping in their cars, drawing blood to afford to pay for gas to get to work.”
As of now, any airport shutdowns would largely be limited to smaller airports, and there doesn’t appear to be any airports at risk of closing as of this reporting. While closures aren’t imminent, the already long TSA lines are expected to get longer. NBC News reports that the Philadelphia International Airport has shut down two TSA lines due to a lack of workers, which has exacerbated the already long wait times.
The impact of the shutdown will likely still be felt well after the shutdown ends. TSA is still trying to get its numbers up after the monthlong government shutdown last fall resulted in over 1,100 TSA agents quitting. The current shutdown has seen over 300 TSA agents quit, and it takes at least four to six months to properly train new agents.
The DHS shutdown came as a result of Senate Democrats refusing to vote in favor of a spending bill unless DHS made several reforms to ICE and CBP protocols due to the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis by federal immigration agents.
The radical reforms Democrats are demanding entail better training for ICE agents, mandatory body cameras for every agent, a ban on face masks, and clear identification for ICE agents. Sure, this is considered the bare minimum for literally every law enforcement agency, but for some reason, the GOP believes it’s a bridge too far for ICE to operate by those same standards.
Senate Democrats have introduced several proposals that would fund FEMA and TSA, but Republicans blocked them because why compromise when you can keep making life worse for U.S. citizens? So if you have any travel plans in the near future, be sure to give yourself ample time to navigate the TSA checkpoints.
SEE ALSO:
TSA Lines Expected To Increase As More Agents Quit During Shutdown
Global Entry Program Restored As TSA Faces DHS Shutdown Staff Shortages