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As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) faces a funding shortfall, air travel across the United States is feeling the effects.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees, who operate under DHS, have been working without pay since early Saturday when the funding lapse took effect.
According to the DHS contingency plan released in September, over 95% of TSA staff are deemed essential and will continue their duties during the shutdown. This means roughly 2,933 out of 64,130 workers will be furloughed.
This plan was set before last fall’s record-breaking 43-day government shutdown, which caused widespread air travel delays as TSA agents and air traffic controllers called in sick. The Hill has contacted TSA and DHS for more information on whether the current funding gap follows the same plan and if any non-essential employees have already been furloughed.
While air traffic controllers receive pay since they are part of the Federal Aviation Administration under the Department of Transportation, TSA’s acting administrator, Ha Nguyen McNeill, cautioned last week that the shutdown would still disrupt air travel.
“Many [Transportation Security officers] work paycheck to paycheck trying to support themselves and their families,” McNeill said in front of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. “During a shutdown, the ability to pay for rent, bills, groceries, childcare, and gas just to get to work becomes very challenging, leading to increased unscheduled absences (call-outs) as a shutdown progresses.
“Higher call-outs can result in longer wait times at checkpoints, leading to missed or delayed flights, which has a cascading negative impact on the American economy.”
On Saturday, over 5,100 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were delayed, with nearly 460 such flights cancelled, according to data from FlightAware. So far Sunday, nearly 4,700 U.S. flights have been delayed, with over 240 such flights canceled.
These numbers do not distinguish between those caused by TSA call-outs and other reasons, such as regular maintenance or weather delays. On Friday, FlightAware data shows that over 5,500 U.S. flights were delayed while over 120 were cancelled.
A trio of industry groups — U.S. Travel, Airlines for America and the American Hotel Association — sounded alarms over how the DHS shutdown will impact air travel. In a joint statement released Friday, the organizations noted that last fall’s funding lapse resulted in an economic impact of $6 billion and disrupted travel for more than 6 million individuals.
“Funding uncertainties create lasting damage to the entire travel ecosystem, especially the airlines, hotels and thousands of small businesses the travel industry supports,” they wrote. “It also stifles recruitment, retention, preparedness and modernization efforts.”
Stahl and McNeill also warned this week about the effect a shutdown will have on non-immediate TSA services, such as recruitment and technological advancements. Stahl said Thursday that the shutdown will “suspend non-essential services” for the agency.
McNeill, meanwhile, said Wednesday that roughly 1,110 officers left TSA in October and November, an increase of more than 25 percent relative to the same time period the year prior. She added that a “shutdown and funding uncertainties have real and measurable impacts on recruitment, retention, and employee morale.”