Homeland Republicans Sound the Alarm on Shutdown Costs to Transportation Security, Personnel Amid Flight Delays

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- This week, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY) and Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security Chairman Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) sent letters to numerous transportation stakeholder organizations expressing concern for how the Democrat government shutdown is affecting aviation security personnel in the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) amid growing flight delays. In the letters addressed to Airlines for America, the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA), Allied Pilots Association (APA), NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP), Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), the Chairmen request information detailing the operational and workforce disruptions impacting their members during the lapse in appropriations and if they anticipate continuing challenges after the government reopens.

Collectively, TSA and FAA personnel manage over 45,000 daily flights and screen nearly three million passengers each day. Since Sunday, Newark Liberty International Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport have issued ground delays due to staffing shortages. Read the full letter here and highlights below.

In the letter, the Chairmen write, "We are writing to express serious concern about the ongoing government shutdown, now nearing one month, and its escalating effects on the Nation's aviation system and the professionals responsible for maintaining its safety and security. The current crisis is the direct result of Senate Democrats' refusal to pass a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution to fund the government. Their inaction is forcing tens of thousands of essential federal employees to work without pay, weakening coordination across the National Airspace System (NAS), and placing unacceptable strain on the front-line workforce that is responsible for safeguarding the traveling public."

The Chairmen continue, "The operational and human toll of this Democrat shutdown is already evident. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel, including transportation security officers (TSOs) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic controllers, are performing critical national security and public safety functions while facing significant pay disruptions… The NAS, which is one of the most intricate and interdependent operational systems in the world, relies on continuous synchronization among air traffic controllers, TSOs, pilots, maintenance crews, and safety and security regulators. When any link in this chain is disrupted, the impact reverberates nationwide. For example, on October 26, the FAA was forced to issue a temporary ground stop for flights to Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages at a Southern California control facility. Related delays and cancellations spread across Newark Liberty International, Teterboro, and Southwest Florida International Airports, further exposing the systemic fragility created by the ongoing Democrat shutdown."

The Chairmen conclude, "TSA operations are facing similar pressures. At major airports throughout the United States, TSOs continue processing record passenger volumes despite missing or soon missing their first full paycheck. Moreover, absenteeism will almost certainly increase as financial pressures mount, consistent with patterns seen in past shutdowns, as personnel are forced to pursue other employment opportunities to continue supporting themselves and their families. TSOs constitute an important layer of homeland security, and their ability to sustain concentration and morale under financial duress directly affects aviation security. Each additional day without pay increases the risk of diminished performance, staffing shortfalls, or attrition that could erode the layered security architecture built up since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001… If the shutdown persists, the United States could face a full-scale aviation crisis during the peak holiday travel season that would affect tens of millions of Americans and inflict lasting damage on an industry essential to national commerce and mobility."

Background:

During a lapse in appropriations, roughly 95 percent of all Department of Homeland Security personnel are deemed exempt and must continue to work without pay, with Transportation Security Officers making up the majority of the more than 61,000 exempt TSA employees. On October 19, TSA screened nearly three million travelers, well above the daily average. According to Reuters, a Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport TSO has been forced to take out a $3,000 personal loan to pay for necessities during the shutdown.

The Department of Transportation deems roughly 30,000 FAA personnel, including more than 13,000 air traffic controllers, as exempt employees. U.S. airports experienced 8,000 delayed flights on Sunday, with more than 50 staffing shortages since last Friday, as personnel continue to go without pay.

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