The acting Deputy TSA Administrator, Adam Stahl, has warned that smaller airports across the country could shut down if the ongoing government shutdown continues to cause rising absenteeism among unpaid security officers. TSA officers missed their first full paycheck last week, and the effects are already being felt at airports, with security lines stretching far outside terminals in some places.
Many security employees are calling out of work to find other ways to earn income since they are not getting paid. The current partial government shutdown is mainly affecting the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the TSA. According to USA Today, around 50,000 TSA airport security officers have been working without pay for about a month now.
