After almost six weeks of partial government shutdowns, airports across the country are experiencing record-high security line wait times during peak spring break season. While the Senate has passed funding for parts of Homeland Security and the House is expected to vote on it soon, it may still take a few weeks or even a month for lines to return to normal.
A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at the Indianapolis International Airport explained that the delay is due to the fact that TSA officers have not received their paychecks yet. The officer, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that many officers have been unable to come into work due to financial reasons and will not return until their paychecks are deposited. They also mentioned that some officers from the previous 43-day shutdown have still not received their back pay.
Another TSA agent at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, who also wished to remain anonymous, emphasized that the timing of the return to normal operations is dependent on when the officers receive their paychecks. They mentioned that during the previous shutdown, it took a week or two after the government reopened for officers to receive their missing pay.
The slow recovery is understandable given the current staffing crisis. Since the partial government shutdown began on February 14, over 450 TSA agents have quit. This has resulted in the “highest wait times in TSA history, with some wait times greater than four and a half hours,” according to Ha Nguyen McNeill, the acting head of the TSA. In response to the high wait times, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that more than 30% of TSA workers called out from airports in New York, Baltimore, Houston, Atlanta, and New Orleans.
The Indianapolis TSA agent explained that the time it takes for wait times to return to normal will vary depending on the airport. They stated that if an airport has a high call-out rate but no staff members quit, wait times could return to normal as soon as the paycheck arrives. However, if an airport has a high number of fired or quit workers, it could take a month or more for wait times to improve.
Expedited programs like TSA PreCheck have also experienced longer wait times, but it is likely that members will see faster lines sooner. According to the Indianapolis TSA agent, PreCheck will remain a priority and standard wait times may dip until more TSA officers are hired.
The government shutdown occurred due to the Senate’s failure to approve funding for Homeland Security in February. Lawmakers were unable to agree on how to allocate spending for airport security, disaster relief, and other national security areas. The disagreement stemmed from Democrats’ demands for reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after two U. S. citizens were killed by federal agents earlier this year in Minneapolis.
TSA officers are considered essential workers, which is why they have been forced to work without pay for the last 40 days. This has resulted in a high rate of staff members quitting and significantly longer security wait times at major airports.