Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said TSA wait times were “going to get much worse” as the partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.
Partial transcript as follows:
KARL: And we’ve seen TSA agents last week had to start working without pay. More than 10 percent. Monday and Wednesday, did not show up. We’ve also — or the very latest we’ve heard is that some 400 TSA officers have quit since the shutdown began. You said, that this — that the lines we’ve been seeing so far will be child’s play if this goes on much longer. How bad is it going to get? How bad is it going to be this week?
DUFFY: So, I think, as we look forward to Friday, that’s when the next paycheck should come. And if this — if this Homeland Security funding isn’t resolved, I think you’re going to see more TSA agents, as we come to Thursday, Friday, Saturday of next week, they’re going to quit or they’re not going to show up. A lot of the starting salaries at TSA, they’re right around $50,000. So, if you live in, you know, one of the big cities of America, L.A. or New York or Miami, it’s hard for these individuals already to make their ends meet. But without getting paychecks, it’s even that much more challenging.
And so, they’re going to take other jobs to put food on the table and pay the rent. So, I do think it’s going to get much worse. And as it gets worse, I think that puts pressure on the Congress to come to a resolution. Democrats have to say, you know what, we’re not going to defund this. We’re going to actually work together, have some common sense reform that the president will work with us on. And, you know, let’s get America working again. And the last thing you want as you travel is to deal with political fights at the airport. Let that stay in Congress, but don’t extract pain out of me and my family as I’m trying to just go to Florida and get some sun on my bones during spring break with my kids.
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