Long wait times persist despite ICE deployment; Trump says he’ll sign an order to pay the TSA: Latest updates

The TSA’s performing administrator, Ha Nguyen McNeill, instructed the House Committee on Homeland Security on Wednesday that her company has misplaced 480 safety officers since the shutdown started on Feb. 14.

She additionally emphasised the mounting monetary pressure that the TSA’s workforce has handled whereas working with out pay.

“Many in our workforce have missed bill payments, received eviction notices, had their cars repossessed and utilities shut off, lost their childcare, defaulted on loans, damaged their credit line and drained their retirement savings,” she mentioned.

According to McNeill, the TSA’s callout charge has elevated from its typical baseline degree of 4% to as excessive as 40% at some airports, with some employees not displaying up as a result of “they simply cannot afford to report to work.”

McNeill mentioned the excessive callout charges have resulted in the longest wait times in TSA historical past and should power some smaller airports to shut if the shutdown would not finish quickly.