The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport security lines are expected to ease within days once the partial government shutdown ends. This comes after President Trump directed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to pay TSA workers immediately, allowing them to receive pay as early as Monday, March 30. According to travel experts, delays could subside relatively quickly when money starts flowing into federal workers’ bank accounts again.
The current TSA call-out rates have reached nearly 12% since the shutdown began, with over 500 agents quitting due to the funding impasse. However, after a previous shutdown, traveler wait times returned to normal within two days to two weeks after receiving their paychecks.
Travel expert Clint Henderson notes that working without pay takes a toll on morale and may hamper TSA’s ability to recruit new workers. “The longer-term impacts are more complicated,” he said. With the latest episode of the shutdown, travelers should brace for ongoing frustrations at airports until TSA agents receive their paychecks.
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tsa-airport-lines-delays-when-will-ease-shutdown-pay