TSA held ‘hostage’ as airport security crisis ‘will get worse’ with DHS shutdown: top official
The top TSA official warned that security problems at airports could get worse before they get better because of the closure of the Department of Homeland Security – as he criticized Congress for “holding back” the agency.
Adam Stahl, acting deputy director of the TSA, warned Thursday that airports could be forced to suspend operations because of the loud cries that led to flight disruptions.
“Call rates are one of the many things that help inform our security measures at all airports, but I can tell you again, this is going to get worse before it gets better, especially if we don’t have a solution in the coming days and weeks,” he said on NewsNation’s “The Hill.”
Stahl did not comment on how many airports would be affected, but warned the impact on smaller hubs could be worse.
“And again, smaller airports may have a greater impact because they have fewer routes and fewer people, so, if three or four of the 10 employees shout, we may, to ensure that we do not reduce security, we may have to temporarily suspend operations at those airports,” he said.
The church shutdown is in its fifth week — while Democrats and Republicans don’t seem close to a compromise.
Democrats have put forward bills that would see certain agencies within DHS funded — but not the likes of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Last week, Senate Democrats blocked a bill that would restore funding for a fourth time, extending the saga.
The White House says such efforts would put the American people at risk — and Stahl went up and down in Congress.
“Holding the entire department, especially on policy concerns, is, frankly, reckless, and I think, it threatens, in fact, the basis of, you know, the job of Congress in general to support the appropriations process, to support the executive branch,” he said.
Airport security workers are being forced to work without pay, which Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian described as “unjustifiable.”
The impasse in Washington has left almost all Transportation Security Administration officials working without pay since mid-February.
More than 5,000 flights across the country were delayed on Thursday – on top of the 9,000 flights affected on Tuesday and 7,000 on Wednesday, according to FlightAware.
Dozens of travelers were seen waiting in long lines at Houston’s George Bush International Airport.
According to the Houston Chronicle, airline passengers faced three-hour wait times for TSA screening.
Warnings warning travelers to expect long TSA wait times due to staffing shortages were displayed on screens inside the terminal.
Travelers are experiencing delays because fewer TSA officers are manning security checkpoints.
On Tuesday, 40.8 percent of TSA workers at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport yelled, as did about 36 percent at Louis Armstrong New Orleans Airport.
Data from the Atlanta airport showed more than 34 percent of employees were crying on Tuesday and that number increased to nearly 38 percent, as reported by CBS News.
Cameron Cochems, TSA’s union boss and chief executive officer in Boise, Idaho, said those on the ground are in the dark about when the DHS shutdown will end — and he said it’s affecting morale.
“The behavior is getting worse day by day because no one knows when this will end,” he said.
Travelers “stand in line because the government can’t do their job and it’s destroying people’s lives.”
