TSA is experiencing the longest wait times ever in its 24-year history because of the ongoing partial shutdown, the agency's deputy administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday.
Wait times at some major airports have exceeded four hours, and employees at those airports are calling out of work at rates of 40% to 50%, Nguyen McNeill told members of the committee. If this partial government shutdown continues into Friday, TSA will have missed almost $1 billion in paychecks since it began, Nguyen McNeill said.
"This level of disruption is unprecedented, and unacceptable, and significantly undermines the security of U.S. transportation systems," she said.
Nguyen McNeill said employees are unable to pay their utility bills and their services are being shut off as a result. They're also receiving eviction notices, sleeping in their cars and selling their blood and plasma to make ends meet. More than 480 employees have quit since the shutdown began, she said.
"Paying these dedicated employees for the work they are performing should never be a point of debate," she said.
Additionally, there has been a 500% increase in assaults against TSA officers since the shutdown began, Nguyen McNeill said. She said legal action will be pursued in these incidents.
Nguyen McNeill thanked Trump for sending ICE agents to some major airports, "enabling TSA officers to focus on carrying out critical security screening duties during this challenging time for our agency," she said.
TSA may have to close smaller airports due to understaffing, she said, and she worries the agency will continue to lose officers to more steady jobs and fail to attract new talent.
Nguyen said it takes four to six months to train a TSA officer to work checkpoints, meaning new hires wouldn't be available to work when several FIFA World Cup matches take place in Los Angeles starting in June.
"To the traveling public, we ask for your patience and understanding as our officers are working their hardest to ensure you can travel safely, all the while not getting paid," she said.
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