The ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown could soon lead to airport closures, a Trump administration official has warned.
The shutdown began in mid-February, after lawmakers failed to reach a deal on funding the agency, which also houses TSA. Now, after thousands of TSA employees missed their first full paycheck last week, officials are worried the mounting chaos at airports could result in closures, Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl told Fox and Friends.
“If this continues, it’s not hyperbole to suggest that we may have to quite literally shut down airports, particularly smaller ones, if callout rates go up and a lot of these officers can’t afford to come in,” he said Tuesday.
Despite the funding lapse, many TSA agents are still coming to work.
“They’re dedicated employees, and they show up,” Stahl said. “The overwhelming majority show up every single day. We are focused on making sure that the integrity of the security system, aviation security system, remains intact, and that’s why we may need to collapse lanes at select airports.”
The Independent has contacted TSA and DHS for comment.
Republicans and Democrats have repeatedly blamed each other for the shutdown. Democratic lawmakers have said they’re demanding certain restrictions on immigration enforcement tactics before they’ll vote to fund the agency.
When reached for comment, a TSA spokesperson said more than 360 TSA officers have quit since the shutdown began, and callouts are “approximately double the normal rate.”
“American travelers across the country are facing hours-long airport lines, that will worsen as this shutdown continues,” the spokesperson told The Independent. “Democrats are shamelessly playing politics with national security, punishing hardworking TSA workers and their families.”
Several airports, including John F. Kennedy International Airport, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, have seen TSA agent call-out rates above 30 percent, the spokesperson added.
This funding lapse also comes just months after government employees endured the longest government shutdown in U.S. history late last year.
President Donald Trump urged TSA employees to continue working in a Truth Social post shared Saturday. He also thanked the agents who are still showing up, including Johnny Jones, the secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees TSA Council 100, which represents thousands of TSA employees.
“Thank you to Johnny Jones and all of our GREAT TSA Agents who are going to work but not being paid because the Radical Left Democrats refuse to honor the deal that was approved and voted on in Congress,” Trump wrote.
“They want your money to go to ‘Border Criminals, Murderers, foreign Drug Dealers, and some of the worst people on earth,’” he continued. “They don’t want it to go to you. Keep fighting for the USA. GO TO WORK! I promise that I will never forget you!!! President DJT.”
Jones, who works as a TSA officer at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, has been outspoken about the impacts of the ongoing DHS shutdown.
“I appreciate the President’s support and attention, and hope he can help get this shutdown resolved quickly so our members can get the paychecks they’ve earned,” Jones said in a statement shared with The Independent over the weekend.
