A shortage of TSA workers led to massive security lines and hours-long wait times at US airports on Sunday. The ongoing partial government shutdown has caused staffing shortages at the Transportation Security Administration, turning airports into a nightmare for thousands of travellers.
Visuals shared on social media show passengers standing in extremely long queues at security checkpoints run by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at airports in Houston and New Orleans.
Since TSA agents are federal workers under DHS, they are being directly affected by the partial shutdown. According to Business Insider, many stopped showing up to work as they stopped receiving their salary.
Security line reaches parking garage
The queue for security clearance at Houston’s William P Hobby Airport was so long on Sunday that it reached the parking lot. (Also read: When will the Senate vote? DHS funding bill faces opposition amid shutdown)
According to influencer Nick Sortor, some passengers waited three hours in the queue before they could proceed to boarding.
{{/usCountry}}According to influencer Nick Sortor, some passengers waited three hours in the queue before they could proceed to boarding.
{{/usCountry}}TV host Kelsey Wingert-Linch said she missed her flight after standing in line for two hours. “Security at Houston Hobby! I've never seen anything like this. 1.5 hour wait to check bags, 4-5 hours for regular security. We missed our flight after waiting in Clear line for 2 hours, pre-check wasn’t open originally & randomly opened at shift change & we sprinted to that line,” she wrote.
DHS addresses security delay
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Lauren Bis blamed the chaos on congressional Democrats' refusal to fund DHS, which has prompted the partial government shutdown.
“These political stunts force patriotic TSA officers, who protect our skies from serious threats, to work without pay,” she said in a statement quoted by NBC News. “These frontline heroes received only partial paychecks earlier this month and now face their first full missed paycheck, leading to financial hardship, absences, and crippling staffing shortages.”
(Also read: TSA employees suffer amid partial government shutdown, work without pay for second time in recent months)
The Department of Homeland Security has been without funding since February 14, after the United States Congress failed to reach an agreement on a spending bill as lawmakers locked horns over ICE. The Donald Trump administration blamed the impasse on Democrats, who refused to approve funding without provisions for immigration reforms.