Travelers are facing major disruptions at multiple airports nationwide as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staffing shortages worsen amid the ongoing partial government shutdown — which began on Feb. 14.
Wait times at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston stretched up to three hours at the standard security checkpoint as of Monday morning. Meanwhile, officials at the New Orleans International Airport urged travelers to arrive four to five hours before departures to allow extra time for security screening. Several passengers, however, still reported missing flights because of the delays.
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Meanwhile, many TSA employees are just days away from missing their first full paycheck, as Democrats and Republicans remain unable to agree on funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
Democratic lawmakers have proposed changes to immigration enforcement, including a ban on face masks worn by federal immigration officials, requiring judicial warrants before agents can enter private property, mandating body cameras on all agents and establishing a standard uniform with a badge, identification number and last name prominently displayed. Republicans have not agreed to all the proposals, leaving DHS funding unresolved.
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According to The Associated Press, Chris Sununu, CEO of the trade group Airlines for America, urged Congress and the White House to act, saying in a statement that "America's transportation security workforce is too important to be used as political leverage."
"We are in spring break travel season and expecting record numbers of people to take to the skies," he said. "Airlines have done their part to prepare; now Congress and the administration must act with urgency to reach a deal that reopens DHS and ends this shutdown."
