Partial government shutdown disrupts airports across the country

By Katie Dusza, News Editor

Air travelers in the United States are facing the longest Transportation Security Administration (TSA) wait times ever recorded amidst a partial government shutdown. The shutdown has caused TSA worker absences to soar and employees to work without pay, resulting in lines hours long. 

The partial shutdown began in mid-February. It impacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This shutdown is a result of congressional disagreements about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The Trump administration has put blame on Democrats for the shutdown. These disagreements were over two killings of U.S. citizens done by immigration officers in Minnesota earlier this year, mostly made by Democrats, who have a widely anti-ICE stance due to the brutality of the department. 

This past Monday, nearly 11% of TSA workers did not show up to scheduled shifts. This is about 3,200 who missed work, as well as 458 who have quit altogether since the shutdown. TSA officers have been burdened by the anxiety of missed paychecks and what they mean for their financial situations. 

As of Tuesday, senators have tried to find a solution for the shutdown by finding a proposal to fund the DHS, including the thousands of employees who have gone weeks without pay. However, the proposal has notably excluded what to do about pressing immigration issues. Democrats were not willing to support the proposal and Trump remained uncommittal to the proposal, Trump stating “I think any deal they make, I’m pretty much not happy with it,” Trump said at an event at the White House swearing in his new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

Additionally, tensions have arisen from the infiltration of ICE in airports. Late Monday March 23, Trump deployed immigration officers to certain airport security checkpoints. So much of ICE is funded by Trump’s administration, that while they are part of the DHS, ICE officers have been funded amid the shutdown. ICE’s budget which grew by $75 billion remains untouched by the shutdown, keeping paychecks going into the pockets of ICE officers.