As travel disruptions deepen and senators race to clinch a proposal to end the Homeland Security shutdown, House lawmakers are holding a hearing at 10 a.m. ET to discuss the impacts of the funding lapse.
Senators are chasing a deal that would fund much of the department
, including Transportation Security Administration workers going without pay, but exclude immigration operations that have been core to the dispute.Acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen
McNeill said multiple airports are experiencing greater than 40% callout rates, according to prepared remarks she’ll give at the hearing. She is also expected to tell lawmakers of the personal toll the shutdown has had on TSA workers who “are running out of options to keep a roof over their head and put food on the table.”
As U.S. airports remain jammed with long lines due to short staffing at TSA, President Donald Trump ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to provide airport security, alarming some lawmakers. At least 458 TSA officers have quit altogether, according to DHS.
Here's the latest:
McNeill is also expected to tell lawmakers of the personal toll the shutdown has had on TSA workers. She described in her prepared remarks how some are having trouble making ends meet, with some having received eviction notices. She says some workers also have been charged late fees and even defaulted on loans.
“TSA employees are dedicated public servants that want to continue to keep the traveling public safe and secure, but they are running out of options to keep a roof over their head and put food on the table,” McNeill said.
Ha Nguyen McNeill, the acting administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, says daily callout rates from officers scheduled to report for duty have increased from 4% before the Homeland Security shutdown to 11% nationwide, with multiple airports experiencing greater than 40% callout rates.
Meanwhile, the agency is grappling with a spring break travel surge.
McNeill made the comments in prepared remarks she will give to the House Committee on Homeland Security. She is testifying Wednesday along with other heads of agencies within the Homeland Security Department about the shutdown’s impact.
Wait times, she said, have increased to more than four hours at some airports, increasing major security risks and missed flights for passengers.
