Executive Action
President Trump signed an executive order instructing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration agents. The order comes as Congress remains deadlocked on funding the agency, and after House Republicans rejected a Senate-passed deal. Trump stated, "As President of the United States, I have determined that these circumstances constitute an emergency situation compromising the Nation's security," according to The Hill.
Congressional Response
Representative Mike Flood, a Republican from Nebraska, said that Trump's order to fund TSA has relieved a key pressure point in negotiations. Speaker Mike Johnson said the House would vote on its own plan. According to NBC News, the Senate had previously approved a plan to fund DHS, but not immigration enforcement and deportation operations.
Impact on Workers
The Department of Homeland Security said TSA agents should begin receiving pay as early as Monday, March 30. A TSA worker from Indiana told NBC News that they were still recovering from the last shutdown, and none of their savings have really recovered. Some TSA workers have taken on extra jobs, hit food banks, begged family for money, and even sold their blood to pay bills.
Airport Chaos
According to CBS News, TSA call-out rates reached nearly 12% on Thursday, the highest level since the shutdown began. According to the Department of Homeland Security, over 500 agents have quit as a result of the funding impasse, according to CBS and NBC News. Major airports like Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and New York's LaGuardia Airport have been reporting record wait times of up to six hours because of TSA staffing shortages.
Morale and Retention
Clint Henderson, a travel expert at The Points Guy, said that working without pay takes a serious toll on morale, and the latest episode could hamper TSA's ability to recruit and replace the hundreds of essential workers who have quit. A TSA worker in New York said they are thinking of leaving the TSA altogether after enduring this partial government shutdown and the one last year.
Passenger Experience
Travel experts say delays could ease within days once workers are paid again. Henderson advised that anyone with plans to travel should brace for ongoing frustrations at the nation's airports until TSA agents receive their paychecks. Johnson said the government "will reduce the lines and the waits at the airlines" after Trump announced that he will sign an executive order.
Personal Sacrifices
Antoinette Wade, president of the American Federation of Government Employees local that represents TSA workers at 13 airports in Louisiana and Mississippi, said she had to make a decision whether to go to the doctor for severe hip pain, or save the money, facing the consequence of a $50 copay coming out of her checking account. Devin Rayford, president of the American Federation of Government Employees union local that represents TSA workers at Memphis International Airport, said that during the last shutdown the landlords and creditors were far more understanding of his members.
Once TSA agents receive their paychecks, it took between two days and two weeks after the last shutdown for security screening line wait times to return to normal, according to Henderson.
