Southwest Airlines CEO Sends Stern Message to Congress

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents are still feeling the effects of the ongoing partial government shutdown, and Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan sent a clear message to congress on their behalf during an appearance at Semafor World Economy Monday.

President Donald Trump's recent executive order has helped alleviate some of the strain on TSA employees, but the agency and its leadership have been urging Congress to pass a deal for full funding.

Southwest's Jordan calls out government

In his remarks at the Semafor World Economy summit in Washington, D.C. Monday, Jordan bashed Congress for using airport workers as "political pawns."

“It’s a shame when our air traffic controllers and our TSA agents, who are awesome, are used as political pawns to get a deal done,” Jordan said. “It’s just not fair to them. It’s not fair to the American public, who count on being able to come to the airport and not have a long line through security.”

Agents missed two full paychecks before President Trump signed an executive order on March 27 directing the Department of Homeland Security to pay TSA personnel, calling the matter "an emergency situation compromising the Nation’s security.”

However, with the shutdown still in effect, a permanent solution remains elusive.

“We need to fund those agencies in a way that they have long-term certainty,” Jordan said.

TSA leader agrees

In an interview with The National Desk, Local 1127 Regional Vice President Angela Grana detailed the limitations of the executive order.

"[President Trump] stated that he could get us all paid and that we should be being paid from here out forward; well no. That only gave funding for the two paychecks that we’re missing,” Grana said. “So that would be two pay periods; two 80-hour weeks that were covered.”

Grana added that some agents received back pay for February, while others did not. It's also unclear how long this relief will last, intensifying the need for Congress to come to an agreement.

“It needs to be Congress that authorizes the money, so guess what? We’re back to square one,” Grana said. “Are we ever going to get paid again?”