Long security lines at airports across the United States are causing travelers to miss flights as a partial government shutdown enters its sixth week, leaving Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers unpaid. On Sunday, Jason Urasner, 40, waited over 90 minutes at a TSA checkpoint at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City before realizing he would miss his JetBlue flight to Salt Lake City, according to a report from Business Insider.
“It is actual chaos,” Urasner told Business Insider. He described a disorganized scene with baggage carts being used to reconfigure lines and a digital clock showing continuously increasing wait times. Some passengers opted to sign up for CLEAR, a paid service that bypasses standard TSA document checks.
The disruptions are occurring as the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the TSA, remains unfunded due to a debate over immigration enforcement policy. More than 400 TSA officers have resigned since mid-February, exacerbating existing staffing shortages, according to The White House.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged the financial strain on TSA employees, stating on Sunday that officers cannot sustain themselves on $0 paychecks. “They’re going to take other jobs to put food on the table and pay the rent,” Duffy said on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” He predicted the situation would worsen, potentially forcing Congress to reach a resolution.
Similar disruptions were reported at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, where Lily Katzman, a senior editor at Business Insider, waited in a line that extended into the parking garage for over 90 minutes before reaching security. She was told to expect an additional two-hour wait after entering the terminal.
In response to the escalating crisis, President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he would deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to assist TSA officers at airports nationwide. White House Border Czar Tom Homan confirmed the plan on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, stating a plan outlining which airports would receive ICE assistance would be finalized by the end of the day.
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents TSA officers, criticized the decision, stating, “Our members at TSA have been showing up every day, without a paycheck, because they believe in the mission of keeping the flying public safe. They deserve to be paid, not replaced by untrained, armed agents who have shown how dangerous they can be.”
Senate Republicans on Friday blocked a Democratic-backed measure to fund TSA workers, even as President Trump threatened to deploy ICE agents. The Senate vote failed 41-49 along party lines, according to The Kenya Times.
