A senior TSA official has issued a warning that airport security issues are expected to deteriorate further before any improvement due to the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. He criticized Congress for “holding” the agency hostage.
Adam Stahl, the acting Deputy TSA Administrator, stated on Thursday that airports might have to halt operations as a result of mass callouts, which have already caused significant flight disruptions.
“Callout rates are one of many factors that help to inform our security footprint at every single airport, but again I can tell you, this is going to get worse before it gets better, particularly if we don’t have a resolution within the coming days and weeks,” he said on NewsNation’s “The Hill.”
Stahl did not specify how many airports might be impacted but noted that smaller airports could face severe effects.
“And so again, small airports may be particularly impacted because they have fewer lanes and they have fewer people, and so, if a certain three or four out of 10 employees call out, we may, to ensure we’re not degrading security, we may have to temporarily suspend operations at those airports,” he said.
The shutdown has entered its fifth week, with Democrats and Republicans remaining at an impasse.
Democrats have proposed bills to fund certain DHS agencies, excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Last week, Senate Democrats blocked a bill to restore funding for the fourth time, prolonging the deadlock.
The White House argues that these efforts could compromise American safety, and Stahl criticized Congress.
“To hold an entire department hostage, particularly over policy concerns, is, frankly, reckless, and it’s, I really think it’s, it threatens, really the foundational, you know, job of Congress at large to fund the appropriations process, to fund the executive branch,” he said.
Airport security agents are currently working without pay, a situation Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian labeled “inexcusable.”
The standoff in Washington has resulted in approximately 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers working without pay since mid-February.
Over 5,000 flights nationwide were delayed Thursday, in addition to the 9,000 flights affected Tuesday and 7,000 on Wednesday, according to FlightAware.
Numerous travelers were observed waiting in extensive lines at Houston’s George Bush International Airport.
According to the Houston Chronicle, passengers faced up to three-hour waits for TSA screenings.
Alerts inside the terminal warned travelers to anticipate longer TSA wait times due to staffing shortages.
Delays are occurring as fewer TSA officers are manning security checkpoints.
On Tuesday, 40.8 percent of TSA staffers at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport called out, as did almost 36 percent at Louis Armstrong New Orleans Airport.
Data from Atlanta airport indicated that over 34 percent of staff called out on Tuesday, with this number rising to about 38 percent, as reported by CBS News.
Cameron Cochems, a TSA union steward and lead officer in Boise, Idaho, mentioned that those on the ground are unsure when the DHS shutdown will conclude, affecting morale.
“The morale is getting worse by the day because no one knows when this is gonna end,” he said.
Travelers are “waiting in line because the government can’t do their job and it’s ruining people’s lives.”
