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Smaller airports across the United States could be forced to shut down if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding crisis continues, Adam Stahl, acting deputy administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) told Fox & Friends on Tuesday (March 17). He said that the ongoing partial government shutdown, which has left TSA agents without pay, is already causing major staffing shortages at airport security checkpoints.
Stahl explained that the TSA has exhausted its National Deployment Office and is now "fully stretched," with no additional workers to send where they are needed most.
"Frankly, there's not much else we can do. As the weeks continue, if this continues, it's not hyperbole to suggest that we may have to quite literally shut down airports, particularly smaller ones, if callout rates go up... A lot of those officers can't afford to come in," Stahl said during his appearance.
The callout rate for TSA agents has surged to 10.19 percent since the shutdown began, compared to just two percent before, according to a TSA spokesperson. About 300 officers have already quit, as noted by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Union leaders say agents are facing "eviction notices, vehicle repossessions, empty refrigerators and overdrawn bank accounts," and have "exhausted every available financial option."
The crisis is also impacting travelers. Many airports are urging passengers to arrive up to four hours early due to lengthy security wait times. The heads of major U.S. airlines, including American, Delta, Southwest and JetBlue, have written to Congress urging them to restore DHS funding and pass measures to guarantee pay for federal aviation workers, highlighting that "it’s difficult, if not impossible, to put food on the table, put gas in the car and pay rent when you are not getting paid."
The current shutdown is the third in less than a year to leave TSA workers temporarily unpaid. Democratic lawmakers in Congress have withheld DHS funding, demanding changes to federal immigration enforcement after recent high-profile incidents.