Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees will miss their first paycheck after disagreements between lawmakers on both sides of the aisle over the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) funding led to a shutdown of the agency.
DHS Shutdown Nears A Month
The partial government shutdown, which has lasted nearly four weeks, resulted in TSA employees receiving 30% of their paychecks two weeks ago, but they will now miss their paychecks, The Hill reported on Thursday.
The phenomenon has led to concerns about staffing as employees are expected to show up to work even without pay. The report says that over 300 employees have quit their jobs, while the shutdown has led to disruptions for travelers at the airport with long queues.
Democratic lawmakers have clashed with their GOP counterparts over funding for the DHS after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were involved in multiple fatal shootings, leading to widespread criticism of the agency and its practices.
However, lawmakers on both ends of the spectrum have refused to budge, remaining in deadlock as uncertainty looms over when the shutdown will end.
TSA Union Secretary-Treasurer Weighs In
Amid the chaos, the White House’s Rapid Response team on X shared a video on Thursday of the TSA Union Secretary-Treasurer of the Bargaining Unit, Johnny Jones, which outlined the current situation from the perspective of the workers.
“We had half a paycheck 2 weeks ago, and this weekend when we get our pay, we’re going to get a big fat 0,” he said. He added that some employees were looking for alternative sources of income by driving for food delivery services.
“Some of my colleagues are donating blood plasma,” he said, while others were sleeping in their cars because they wanted to save on fuel costs. The post shared by the Rapid Response urged Democrats to reopen the DHS. “Democrats chose this pain,” it said.
Airports Call On People For Gift Cards, Food Donations
Major airports across the U.S. have called on the people for support, urging them to donate food, gas, as well as grocery gift cards to TSA employees amid the shutdown. Airports in Denver, Seattle and Atlanta called on people via social media posts.
“Support the dedicated TSA employees working without pay by donating $10 and $20 grocery store and gas gift cards,” the Denver airport said.
Gavin Newsom Slams Trump, Lawmakers To Reallocate Funds?
Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) slammed the President Donald Trump administration and the TSA amid the shutdown. Quoting a post on the social media platform X, Newsom shared that the “official TSA account is spending more time “owning the Dems” than keeping you safe.”
Meanwhile, lawmakers from both parties, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), as well as Democratic Whip Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), were open to moving over $190 billion in funds allocated to the DHS’s ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to keep TSA employees paid during the shutdown.
Kristi Noem Departs, PreCheck Chaos
Chaos ensued as the DHS earlier announced it was shutting down the PreCheck and Global Entry programs, citing workforce woes. However, it rolled back the PreCheck suspension following criticism from industry stakeholders and travelers.
Meanwhile, Trump’s former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was also fired from her role following a $220 million government advertising campaign, which was defended by Noem in congressional hearings. Trump’s ally, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), could replace Noem as the next leader of the DHS.
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Photo courtesy: David Tran Photo / Shutterstock.com
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